They’re such an important part of our lives that it’s just not possible to accept they’re not real. Although a sitcom, the characters sketched in F.R.I.E.N.D.S had many dimensions, just as a real human would have, and these human qualities make them all the more relatable. However, there are sides to the life of these legendary characters which would have broken the spirits of many of us had we gone through it. There’s a lot to learn from this 90s television series as we look deep into the lives of the characters. Chandler Bing – used humor as a defense mechanism Chandler Bing, the king of sarcasm who wears the wits in his sleeves has seen a lot more than average. It’s hard to say if he was joking when he said his first cigarette after nap time at the age of nine reminded him of the good old times. Age nine indeed was a crucial time for the Chang Chang man for that was the year his parents announced divorce on the Thanksgiving Table. With a cross-dressing father and an erotic novel writer for a mother, Bing’s childhood can be accounted for his neurotic behavior. However, his sense of humor, which he used as a defense mechanism, helped him out throughout, even when he learned he could never be a father.

Rachel Green – struggled for a sense of self-worth

Rachel was a rich brat who had never seen the tough side of life. However, she did manage to turn out a little different from her sisters and wanted to carve her own path out. So, Rachel Green left her fiance at the altar and ran away from her wedding, from her house and all the riches she was so used to.

This was when Rachel found herself doing odd jobs as a waitress at Central Perk, failing miserably at her job, living off Monica – a remarkable contrast to how she had grown up. She was too beautiful to be taken seriously, and things happened easily for her in school and college. It was the struggle to earn respect, be heard and be self-made that can be more difficult than it seems.