They're Failing: Says the Neighbor

I stood at the front door pounding. But no answer. The neighbor that knows them drove by and stopped.
"Are you trying to sell something?" she asked.
I walked out to her car and smiled. Then she recognized me.
She just shook her head. "They're failing," she said. "They're not doing so great. The garbage cans have been out here on the curb for the last 3 weeks. I don't know how it looks inside. I'm afraid to think."
I went around the side of the house and pounded. Finally my mother came and opened the door.