The Kroloff crawl off

From today's New York Times, "Bigger Houses, Longer Commutes," by Elsa Brenner:

On weekdays, Julie Kroloff sets the coffee maker for 5:45 a.m., then speeds through her kitchen in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., and grabs a cup to fortify herself for the long drive ahead. If Ms. Kroloff, a self-employed consultant, is on time, she backs out of the garage just before 6 and makes the trip from Dutchess County to her office in Midtown Manhattan in just under two hours. If traffic is heavy, Ms. Kroloff's 54-mile commute can take two and a half hours or more...

Then:

Other commuters like Ms. Kroloff who rely on their cars for the long haul to work say that the drive gives them a chance to be alone and to gather their thoughts. "I can be in my own world without anyone bothering me," she said. "Sometimes when I'm driving, I just let my mind wander. Sometimes, I listen to music. I can create my own space in the car, and that helps me prepare for the day ahead." She and her daughter, Rita, 8, and her son, Steven, 7, moved into a new five-bedroom, five-bath house last fall. It cost around $750,000.

This sounds like absolute hell to me. Why do three people need a five-bedroom, five-bath house? Is it really that nice to plunk yourself down exhausted on the sofa after five hours of driving and think, "Yes, but think—even if we have a visitor there's no way I'm going to have to wait for the bathroom?" Couldn't they find an apartment closer to where she works?

Why do people need/want such big houses? I'm scared of a big house—it would be almost impossible to find my car keys. It's got to feel like being in an airport, strolling from one wing to the next in these architectural megaplexes. We live in a small house, but it's giant by Tokyo standards. When it seems cluttered, I always think—now's the time to throw all this junk out!