The ideal of romance is illustrated by the courting couple who is also vacationing at the pension, shown "leaning toward each other as the wateroaks bent from the sea. There was not a particle on earth beneath their feet," so high are they on the newness and passion of their romance. Interestingly, the sternly religious lady in black is frequently shown "creeping behind them," like a dark cloud threatening their happiness. The lady in black represents anti-passion: She moves slowly, is always alone, and is usually engaged in religious rituals such as praying on her rosary. She is the cooling of passion that inevitably follows the first flush of romance and youth's energetic infatuations.
Representing the sometimes-negative energy of youth is Victor, Robert's younger brother. Victor's impetuous, willful behavior indicates a lack of consideration for others, a trait often tempered by the responsibilities and realities of adult life. While Robert does not have his younger brother's temper, his habit of spending summers at his mother's resort paying court to married women rather than pursuing a career or a wife renders his own level of emotional maturity suspect.
