Loneliness is a recurring theme in the novel. Many of the characters lead solitary lives and depend upon Father Tim and friends for emotional support. Father Tim is lonely, too. Through prayer, he maintains a close spiritual relationship with God, but at mealtimes and in the evenings, he imagines how much richer life would be if he had a wife. He neglects his house and his health and appearance until Emma and the vestry hire Puny, a housekeeper, to look after him. The big, affectionate dog Barnabas and Dooley Barlowe become Father Tim's surrogate children, and he relies on his cousin Walter, Hal and Marge, and Cynthia for adult companionship.
Miss Sadie is lonely in her Fernbank mansion. She eats Swanson's frozen chicken pies and apples from her orchard. With Father Tim, she reminisces about.....
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