When Mr. Fuller's father fires his son and reclaims all assets, creditors corner the family and demand the husband's project debt be paid or the wife "work with us." Evicted, the couple moves into a cheap rental and immediate survival ignites buried resentments. The wife accuses her husband of scheming—recalling being taken to a hotel drunk, forced into marriage and pregnancy—while he blames her. A rival offers a payoff, saying, "Take the money and scram." News that Ms. Reeve never visited exposes their isolation, and she vows to return to the mansion, debts and secrets unresolved.