The narrator tells us that he and his parents are in the middle of a divorce, and that their son is behaving well. He says that he wants to scare his son away from his mother, but his mother will not let him go. He apologizes to her, but she won't listen to his apology. The narrator says that she is sorry, but that she has done it on purpose. She apologizes again, but the narrator says she will not listen to her apology any more. She invites him to have a conversation with her, and she tells him to tell her about the advantages of her daughter. He tells her that her parents have disapproved of him, and he has always pretended not to care about what he wants, so that he wouldn't have to be disappointed. She tells him that her daughter is very independent, very good in her exams, and very kind to all her friends. She has many ideas in the back of her mind, and often goes to the theater to perform. Her friends treat her very sincerely, and the narrator asks her parents why they haven't praised her. His mother says that they are afraid that she will be proud, but he says that this is not for her own good, but for her father's. He feels sorry for his parents, and says that if he had listened to his mother earlier when he was in love, he would have avoided the same path.