We had a coal stove in the kitchen and one in the living room. As a kid I hated the chore of having to go out to the coal house and get a bucket of coal. We had a pump in the back yard and a water bucket with dipper in the kitchen. No indoor plumbing and, early on, coal oil lamps. I didn't live in a shack though and a good portion of people shared those same conditions and never thought anything of it.
I've watched that doc a couple of times. There were people like that family around (often back in hollers) but they were a relative minority.
In hindsight, in many ways, those really were good times.