In A Raisin in the Sun, why does Mama's plant struggle to survive in their Southside apartment?

The small, wilting plant that Mama Younger lovingly cares for lacks the sunshine and fresh air it needs to thrive in their apartment.  The plant, however, is symbolic of how Mama’s family is also metaphorically dying in their current situation in the slums of the Southside of Chicago.  The family is at odds, arguing and complaining about their lives, and Mama tries her best to help reconcile their differences.  Walter yearns to be his own boss; Ruth wishes for a more stable family life in a larger home because she is pregnant; Beneatha wants to go to medical school; and Mama wants to get the family out of the projects and into a home of their own.  Like the plant who is unable to grow and bloom, the family is also not living to its potential because of poverty, poor judgment, and stress.  Fortunately, when Mama puts a down payment on a small home in another neighborhood, she takes her family and the plant with her where they will all begin to flourish because of their new environment.