chapters 17-22 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 17: Getting Older contains the following subheads: Loneliness; Doldrums; Squandered; and Camp.

When a couple has been together for a long period of time, they invariably shift from passionate love to companionate love. Many couples do not make the transition. Divorce rates peak around the fourth year of marriage. Harold and Erica had been married for twelve years when she took over as CEO of Intercom. She and Harold had drifted apart. He was busy writing books and being immersed in history while Erica worked hard at running a major firm. The couple didn't fight, they simply drifted apart. They also began to notice and loathe certain behaviors in each other. Loneliness only magnified those issues.

Loneliness led to depression and Harold began to find himself wishing that they'd had children, but Erica was always too busy. Harold was...