#don't feel like i need to break down how this influenced his repression lol

[tomwambsgans]

tom's parents definitely constantly set him up with girls from richer families as a kid. his natural charm and caring nature and pretty face were sometimes even more praiseworthy features than his intelligence at times because they were such a good combination for being likable to rich girls. the wambsganses in general were/are just affluent enough to not be seen as insects by the local elite, and also just middle-class enough to be seen as more down-to-earth by the individuals amongst the elite who were tired of their airheaded peers. with dad wambsgans getting tenure at a local university and mom wambsgans being a successful lawyer, they had to be right on the edges of Polite Society, ready to pick away, quite often. and their handome, polite, intelligent son would've been the perfect tool with which to do that. i seriously bet tom got snuck into a debutante ball at least once and did date several of these girls only for it to keep not working out, and thus keep making tom feeling like he was letting his family down up until he finally married shiv.