... and that motherhood was pretty much foisted on all women whether they were suited for it or not, as this episode illustrates.
Ward and June are going out on a Saturday, leaving Wally and Beaver at home. They are plenty old enough to take care of themselves at this point. Then along comes Mrs. Murdock from across the street. She has to pick her husband up at the airport and practically flings her small son Chucky at Wally, gives him some money, and tells Wally to buy Chucky some shoes. Wally and Beaver never consented to anything, and yet here they are saddled with this kid.
Along comes Eddie Haskell who wants Wally to come ice skating with him and two other girls. Beaver volunteers to run the errand in Wally's place, and he does a good job, but things run amok when Beaver turns his head for one second at the store and Chuckie hides because Chuckie is a brat who wants what he wants when he wants it. What Chuckie wants at this instance in time is to wander and explore the department store alone. This kid is on his way to becoming Eddie Haskell at best and Norman Bates of Psycho at worst.
Everybody blows up at Wally for giving the Beaver this task, but Beaver didn't make any mistake that Wally wouldn't have made. The fault lies with the mother for being such an emotional mess, for making Chuckie the nightmare that he is at this point, and presuming it's somebody else's problem to buy her child clothes. It's rather insinuated that Mrs. Murdock is a mess of a parent, but still the show puts too much blame on Wally and by extension, Beaver.
At the end, Beaver asks a question that I'm surprised no adult would answer - "Does a lion, roaming in the jungle, have a conscience?" Of course he doesn't. Only humans have a conscience. It's what separates us from the animals who act purely on instinct. Why wouldn't the writers just let this be said?