In conjunction with equal distribution of marital assets, divorce law also provides for the maintenance of children in the standard they were accustomed to. When one household becomes two, maintaining such a standard can devastate the non-custodial parent's quality of life. As far as the children, they are not necessarily happier (or better off) in designer clothing just because they're used to it. The non-custodial parent can be driven into bankruptcy. Divorce can be a more common cause of insolvency than illness.