fe’s opinion is wrong, and that he doesn’t want to consider her opinion. This draws him out to demonstrate the era, as well, because he thinks that the woman's place is in the home, struggles with listening to his wife's opinion, and holds the position that he can do everything himself.The end of the song is quite funny, because it's final words are "If the end is right, it justifies the beans!" If taken at face value, this means that the action prior (tricking a boy into trading a cow away for some "magic" beans) will be justified. But it is also possible to read further into this comment and think "none of this is really going to be important later", or "That our lives aren't really important in the grand scheme of the world." thus another reason why Sondheim is a wonderfully creative writer....
