Why didn't Caroline talk to her family again? And instead hooked up with serial killers and death enthusiasts. I've read this a couple of times over the years and never got that.
They abandoned her to Anna.
Basically when she gets out of her hospital bed she seeks out Anna and not her family because she'd been her only companion. Then it turns out Anna had harmed her terribly.
Also, I think the point is well argued that things like familial bonds don't mean very much contrasted to eternity.