Separating the Lego from the chaff

I was at some kind of family gathering. We were all staying in a small house. Not my grandparents' house, but very similar. I had some boxes of miscellaneous junk that I was sorting, taking out Lego pieces before discarding the rest of the stuff in the boxes. I also had some freelance work to do, but couldn't go into my room to do it. Everyone in the house was on their worst behaviour. I tried to explain why I wanted the Lego and why I wasn't wasting my time sorting through the boxes, but no one understood.