What does Hick remember about the O'Neill family in the novel, White Houses?

Hick worked for the family for a short time while a teenager. In talking about her time there, Hicks recalls, "The first time Charley O'Neill raised his hand to his wife, I flinched. He tucked a brown-edged daisy from the yard behind her ear and she kissed his hand. Their little girl, giddy with all the love, pressed her face to Mrs. O'Neill's breast" (44). Hicks had never experienced such displays of affection because she grew up in an abusive home, and she is completely taken aback.