German poet and philosopher Johann Schiller once said, "It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons," an idea that shows itself again and again in modern television. The idea of family is redefined in the popular television show "Friends." Friends is a show about six companions in their twenties and their lives together. "Friends" exemplifies the meaning behind Schiller's words, showing that being blood-related does not guarantee a family. The Sowers family is a blood related family, composed of six people of varying ages, and seems to reflect the exact opposite idea, that the best indicator of family is the tight bonds formed by blood relations. At first thought, these two families are completely different, but…show more content… Each family includes six members, but the Friends family is made up entirely of adults while the Sowers family is made up of both adults and children. Because of this, the families differ dynamically. Each member of the Friends family has equal power and makes their own decisions. In the Sowers family, the parents make most of the decisions, as the leaders with authority. These different dynamics change the way the families interact. Everyone in the Friends family makes fun of one another, like in the Episode called "The One with the Ick Factor." Phoebe remarks how Chandler's coworkers make fun of the way he talks, and Joey and Ross join in, using some of Chandler's favorite phrases like: "Could that report be any later?" Even though Chandler is visibly offended, they continue making fun of him. In the Sowers family, the children might tease each more, but not to the same extent that the people in the Friends family tease each other. This is because the children in the Sowers family are monitored by the parents. There are no parents in the Friends…show more content… Both prove Schiller's famous quote to be true: mutual love is what makes a family, not merely blood relations. In the last episode of Friends, "The Last One," Chandler and Monica are moving out of the apartment that has been the main setting for the entire show. Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross all join them to say goodbye. Chandler says to one of their children, just a baby in his arms, that the apartment what its "first home, and it was a happy place, filled with love and laughter." Each one of them leaves a key on the counter, and they exchange a tearful goodbye. That show-ending moment demonstrates the spirit of Schiller's words. It is the love that all of the Friends share that makes them a family, not blood. In the Sowers family, they share the same love. They are a family in the traditional sense of the word; They share DNA and are blood-related, but they also are a family by the same standards that the characters in "Friends" are a family. Even though they might have disagreements, tease each other, or tell each other what to do, they are still a family. The love that both families show for one another is one of the only similarities, but it is the most