In both these cases the joint household survived acute tension, although in the short run, the sons could have supported themselves adequately without their fathers. In Sakaltutan, in two other cases, sons were apart from their fathers and on bad terms with them. The fathers had little or no land, and in one case the quarrel was said plausibly to be due to the bad relations between the son's stepmother and his wife. The other quarrel was more fundamental - the parents did not even visit or help their son when he had pneumonia. In another case, three brothers had set up independent households next to their father's house, because once again their wives and their stepmother could not work together. But they had remained on good terms with their father, and co-operation between stepmother and wives had survived the separation.
As a son approaches middle age and his father falls into dotage, control of household affairs may pass to the son. But formal respect for the father is never relaxed and he remains nominally head of the household. For example the village headman was about 35 years of age, and his official position and his self-importance gave the impression that he was in charge of his household. In fact, his old but still vigorous father was the real head, and had great influence on his son's public conduct as well. Old Ismet (T), much less vigorous, was treated with great deference and attention by his elder son - though not by his younger - but in this case the direction of household affairs was in the sons' hands.