I used to be too privileged for my own good. I can't recall how I accidentally got roped in by a friend to do refurbishment work for one-room flats occupied by lower-income families. What struck me most were the tiny shoe-box rooms, claustrophobic low-hanging ceilings and Spartan hand-me-down furniture. Some flats were run-down, others were tidier. For the most part though, the condition of the flats was appalling and heart-wrenching. In those run-down flats were families who had given up...