The sign pointing home changes meaning depending on who is traveling beneath it.

The same word carries different weights for different travellers. A sign saying home means a warm kitchen to one person, a difficult family to another, and a place that no longer exists to somebody else, while the letters do nothing but point. Public language assumes a shared feeling that is not actually shared. Every neutral word is read by people in very different situations.

When you use words like home, family, or holiday with a group, leave a little room around them. Ask what someone is going back to rather than assuming it is good news.