Siblings and inheritances: the cold war that never ends

Siblings: when blood is not enough

How much is a relationship with a sibling worth? In theory, the fraternal bond should be one of the strongest. In practice, as the anonymous confessions collected here show, irrational hatred and deep-rooted grudges are more common than people admit. One revealing fact: on television, there are ads for companies specializing in mediating inheritances between siblings who «if they see each other, they kill each other». A business that, simply by existing and having an advertising budget, suggests the problem is massive.

Where the rift begins

No specific reason is needed. One of the testimonies describes a broken relationship «for no apparent reason», simply because the other is perceived as arrogant, hypocritical and haughty. Another account points to the abuse of power by the older sibling, who treats the younger one like an absent second parent or belittles them. This dynamic, it is argued, repeats itself «every day in thousands of large families». The inheritance is just the final straw.

The business of family breakdown

The TV ad for a company offering inheritance mediation services is not an anecdote: it confirms the existence of a market. When the relationship has deteriorated to the point that a third party is needed to divide up assets, the fraternal bond no longer exists. And it is not an isolated case: the recurrence of these services indicates there is real demand, meaning there are many families where siblings don't even speak to each other.

For those who have no inheritance problems, at least they can take comfort in knowing their sibling is, quite simply, a bad person.