A Hazard of New Fortunes · Chapter
VI explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Horn and her niece Margaret Vance discuss the social implications of Margaret's desire to call upon the Dryfooses, a wealthy but socially isolated family. Mrs. Horn cautions Margaret about the potential consequences, drawing on their past experience with the Leightons. The chapter explores the transactional nature of society, where favors are expected to be reciprocated, and Margaret's idealistic impulses are tempered by her aunt's pragmatic worldview.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the dramatic climax occurs as Beaton confronts the psychological peak of his internal conflic…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Social Class and Mobility
The chapter explores the barriers faced by the newly wealthy Dryfooses in gaining social acceptance, and the careful calculations involved in extending or withholding social recognition.
- Love and Marriage
Margaret is described as the kind of girl who might have fancies for artists and poets but might end up marrying a prosperous broker, highlighting the tension between romantic ideals and social expectations.
Characters to notice
- Margaret Vance
Margaret discusses with her aunt the propriety of calling on the Dryfooses, showing her benevolent and idealistic nature, though she is aware of society's constraints.
- Mrs. Horn
Mrs. Horn advises her niece on social conventions, revealing her conventionality and belief in society's unwritten rules, while tolerating Margaret's originality.
- Angus Beaton
Beaton is mentioned as the source of Margaret's knowledge about the Dryfooses, though he discouraged her from calling on them.
Key passages
“Society doesn't rest upon any such basis. It can't; it would go to pieces, if people acted from unselfish motives.”
Society would collapse if people acted without expecting something in return.
Mrs. Horn explains to Margaret that social interactions are fundamentally transactional, not altruistic.
“You get what you pay for. It's a matter of business.”
Social favors are like commercial transactions; you receive only what you give.
Mrs. Horn reduces social exchange to a business principle, reflecting the Gilded Age's commodification of relationships.
