Esther saw a play in New York City, near the end of her stay, and its main character was a girl who was possessed by a dybbuk, or wandering soul. After Esther's date with Marco, we wonder what it is that "possesses" Esther — because Esther does not seem to use even the modicum of sense and wit that she had previously. As she tosses her fashionable wardrobe off the parapet, into the darkness of New York City, Esther also, besides freeing herself from "fashion," allows pieces of her sanity to fly away too. The darkness of the metropolis has her in its grip, and Esther has fallen into despair, from the arms of a brutal womanhater into the grayness of the night of indecision and non-direction.
Concerning the many problems that have led Esther to this state of confusion and indecision, note in particular the double standard that has been bothering her for a long time. The fact that the rules are different for men than for women does not seem fair to her. Even the execution of the Rosenbergs accents that sense of how America is prejudiced and how it lacks fair play. Esther feels victimized and helpless. She sees herself as a young, sensitive, creative woman headed in directions not prescribed by society, which only mouths ideas about freedom, opportunity, and equality.
Esther has seen the dark heart of America, and now she is lost in her own dark reactions. She can find no relief in her mother's suburban house, where she is constantly being condescended to and treated like an invalid — even before she is really sick. The nosy neighbor depresses Esther with her attempts to make everyone miserable while she herself conforms to "the system." And the other neighbor, lost in a fog of childbearing, does not give Esther relief from her dilemmas either. These extreme female roles, one mean and narrow, the other expansive and warm and mothering, are two opposite kinds of prisons that women are pushed into by a society that does not allow them any human roles — only roles fit for the "weaker" sex.
If these are the choices that are offered to Esther, it is no wonder that Esther cannot make a decision. Additionally, being rejected from the writing class makes her feel even worse; the one role in which she has sought and done well in is denied her, right now in her crisis. Esther's depression worsens, and her inability to sleep has aspects of manic behavior. Soon she can't even read. So it is recommended that Esther see a psychiatrist. Her dream of "a great summer" has hit bottom.
