Mr. and Mrs. Hines appear to be complete opposites. Mr. Hines is rabidly aggressive and is possibly suffering from a mental disorder. Mrs. Hines, meanwhile, is calm and timid. Despite the imbalance of force between them, she appears to have a degree of control over her husband, and is able to reign in his erratic behavior. In a way, their relationship is similar to that of the McEacherns, in which a kind wife was tyrannized by a brutal husband but also tried to minimize the harm he could do to others.