Traddles's apartment functions as both a workplace and a home, blending together elements of both the professional and domestic spheres, which were conventionally separate from one another. In part, this is a sign that Traddles still has a ways to go in establishing himself in his career, and in life more generally; at the moment, he simply can't afford to maintain a household separate from his office. However, David also finds himself charmed by the feminine influence that Sophy and her sisters have brought to a neighborhood of law offices. The presence of homelike touches like the flower pot therefore illustrates, in a very literal way, the softening influence women and domestic life were supposed to have on the public sphere.