In the neighborhood, the Ling family was known to be -
1) a foolproof burglar prevention system,
2) the reason why the annual city parade never went down their street, and
3) weird.
The first was due every neighbor being firmly sure that the eldest, Kanda "Urusai" Yu, would provide an unnecessary, free appendectomy on any poor thief he spotted with his eagle eyes. The neighbors were also firmly sure that the other two would cheer him on happily. And bring popcorn.
The second was because of both Kanda and Alma Karma. Kanda would get annoyed by the loud yelling and obnoxiously colorful floats and inflatable toys, while Alma had a unique (read: exasperating, unexplainable) phobia of balloons.
The third was contributed to by Kanda, Alma, and the youngest, adoptive boy in the Ling household: Allen, who was only invited to big parties because otherwise he would eat the refreshments at small get-togethers until there was not even a crumb of cake left. Allen, who was responsible for an impressive total of eleven teachers quitting their jobs at Black Order High. Allen, who was a Concert Master in piano, had turned down offers of being a professional singer, and had a strange obsession with mitarashi dango.
Alma and Kanda were famous in their reputation of being more possessive/overprotective of the sorta-albino.
Or, as Allen's classmate Road Kamelot put it: Sprout complex - which afflicted most residents of Grayman Town at least once or twice in a lifetime.