Desperate Characters Study Guide

The chapter opens with Mr. and Mrs. Otto Bentwood having pulled out their chairs simultaneously. The couple is eating dinner. Sophie Bentwood had found an antique shop with some interesting bowls that they had bought and when she returns, she notices a stray cat that is back at their door. Otto chides Sophie for feeding it and encourages her to ignore it and Sophie is quietly unhappy. Otto notes that some houses in the neighborhood have been sold. He complements Sophie on dinner, but she is preoccupied with the cat. Otto asks when they are due at the Holsteins while the cat laps up some milk and cleans its whiskers. Sophie went to pet it, but the cat's back raises and Sophie feels sorry that it has been mistreated. The cat bites her deeply and runs off. She hides the wound from Otto, knowing that he will criticize her; instead, she treats the wound in the sink. (read more)