Can someone explain this behaviour to me? 

```
a <- b <- c <- new.env()
a$this <- 1
b$this 
# 1
c$this 
# 1 

```

I would have expected that a/b/c would be distinct environments much like a variable created in the same manner? 

However, three environments show in the global environment, but any action on one is pushed into all of them.