cial mess she is in and solicits his sympathy. He agrees to help her out, and put his hand over hers as if to claim her before they get arrive home. AnalysisThe cruelty of the society, and the way things return to haunt each of the characters, is exemplified in the following line: "they hold their tongues for years, and you think you're safe, but when the opportunity comes they remember everything" (81). This is especially true in Lily's case, where she is not destroyed from anything major, but rather from the many minor things that she does. The first of these is explained by Mrs. Dorset, who informs Lily that Mr. Gryce rejected her because of gambling. "Do you know, Lily, he told me he had never seen a girl play cards for money till he saw you doing it the other night?" The irony of the situation is that had she not played cards, she would have been excluded from the social set in a different way. Money and claims are intimately tied together at this point. There is a dichotomy between Wall Street and the social life that we see, "This vast, mysterious Wall Street world of 'tips' and 'deals'" (87). Lily asks Trenor to invest her money for her, forgetting that money gives the lender the right to expect something in return. This has been shown already with Jack Stepney trying to introduce Rosedale, and even hinted at by Mr. Trenor when he mentions Rosedale's "advice" to him. It is a game that Lily does not know how to play, and one that will lead to her ultimate failure. ...
