I cannot blame anyone for wanting to stay with their family. But if your choice is between feeding your family and being far away vs. starving right alongside your family then what does one do?
I used to work for a construction workers' union. The guys had to "boom out." If there was no work at home (often the case) they'd go to where construction was booming and get work. So they would go months and months sometimes barely seeing their family. Sure, their wives cheated on them and they cheated on their wives. And yeah, their kids were like strangers to them. But the guys were able to pay their child support bills and keep a roof over their kids' heads and maybe afford to send their kids to college. This is all that is left of the American Dream -- pay your child support, pay your bills, maybe your kid lives a better life than you -- and this last part is a real gamble.
I ain't saying this is good or fair. But life is not always good and it is almost never fair.