Herbert Hoover's loss of his parents in early childhood influenced his self-reliant character and his future concern for the physical and social well-being of the youth of all nations.

The House of the Maples, the Hoovers' second home (demolished by later owners in 1923), represented the hopes and successes of the young Hoover family, but the deaths of Jesse and Hulda Hoover and the separation of the Hoover children set Herbert on a new course that provided him with greater opportunities. Hulda Hoover used her talent, determination, endurance, and enterprise to raise and support three children, to become a Quaker spiritual leader, and to champion temperance and women’s suffrage. In doing so, she provided a model of self-reliance that Herbert later emulated and promoted.

The tragedies and upheavals of Herbert's childhood years in West Branch influenced his desire to meet personal adversity and massive global tragedies and, despite tremendous obstacles, turn them into great personal triumphs. His greatest assets—strongly held ideals of individual initiative and private responsibility—proved to be a weakness during his presidency, when the profound challenges of the Great Depression overwhelmed his policies and actions. Because of his early experiences as an orphan, Herbert Hoover expressed his empathy and concern for the welfare of children around the world. His interest in children's issues is represented by the Statue of Isis and the exhibits of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.