Helen’s advice to Esther echoes Mrs. Maxwell’s to her: she is warning the younger woman against marrying only for affection. Instead, Helen suggests, Esther should make sure her chosen partner has other qualities to recommend him. Esther’s fears of becoming an “old maid” show the entrenched nature of the pressures society puts on young women to marry as a way of achieving financial “independence.” But that independence is a lie, and Helen knows this better than anyone.