Variables Across Derivates

Can you post the code ?

What is the code of both classes?

 using UnityEngine;
 using System.Collections;
 
 public class Actor : $$anonymous$$onoBehaviour 
 {
     public string newTag;
     public float STR;
     public float AGI;
     public float END;
     public float INT;
 
     public float accSwing = 0.70f;
     public float headHealth = 80.0f;
     public float chestHealth;
 
     
     void Start() 
     {
         Debug.Log ("First off:" + headHealth);
         Debug.Log (accSwing);
         newTag = GetAllTags (transform);
         //Debug.Log (newTag);
         
         Debug.Log("Pre Set:" + headHealth);
         SetStats(newTag);
         Debug.Log("Post Set:" + headHealth);
     }
     
     // INITIALIZATION FUNCTIONS ==========
     
     public void SetStats(string tag)
     {
         SetAttributes(newTag);
         SetSkills(newTag);
     }
     
     private void SetAttributes(string tag)
     {
 
         if(tag.Contains("Human"))
         {
             STR = 1.0f;
             AGI = 1.0f;
             END = 1.0f;
             INT = 1.0f;
         }
 
         
         headHealth = headHealth * END;
         chestHealth = 100.0f * END;
                 
     }
     
     private void SetSkills(string tag)
     {
         
     }
     
     public string GetAllTags(Transform parent)
     {
         string newTag = "";
         
         foreach(Transform child in parent)
         {
             newTag = newTag + child.tag;
             Destroy(child.transform.gameObject);
         }
         //Debug.Log (newTag);
         return newTag;
     }
 }
 

Trimmed some of the unrelated stuff off, but those are the relevant parts. The object in question does not have this attached to it however, but rather the Player class as below:

 using UnityEngine;
 using System.Collections;
 
 public class Player : Actor 
 {
     /*void Start () 
     {
         SetStats(newTag);
         newTag = GetAllTags (transform);
         Debug.Log (newTag);
         Debug.Log(headHealth);
     }
     */
     void Update () 
     {
 
 
         if(Input.Get$$anonymous$$eyDown ("space"))
         {
             Debug.Log(headHealth);
         }
     }
 }

Note from the code in the last comment: Within SetAttributes on lines 49-50, I have one variable assigned and the other not: this is due to the process of assigning it at different stages to find a configuration that worked.

I'm going to close this since the proposed rule of thumb seems sufficiently effective for the encountered problem, even if I still don't understand what was going on there.

Thanks!