Malcolm Gladwell in his book, The Tipping Point, tells about "the Broken Window" theory of crime. Many years ago, criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling formulated this theory about how a neighborhood or community slowly gives into increasing crime rates. They called it the Broken Window theory. Wilson and Kelling said that crimes are more likely to be committed in areas where it appears that the residents have lowered their standards and no longer care about their community.

If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people start to assume that no one cares about maintaining that building. More windows will get broken. As the building becomes more dilapidated, there is a growing assumption of lawlessness by the residents. People assume that they can lower their standards of behavior, because no one will notice or care.

The mayor of New York City used the Broken Window theory in the 1990s as a guide for reducing the crime rate. He had work crews cleaning up vandalism and repairing crumbling buildings. He assigned officers to patrol neighborhoods and cite people for even minor infractions. Littering, public drunkenness, vandalism and other small crimes were noted and swiftly dealt with. When the police attended to the "little things," they sent a message that the community cared about setting higher standards for itself. Major crimes like theft, assault, and drug dealing dropped dramatically once the minor crimes were under control.

Neglect. Broken Windows. Weeds growing in the garden.