Lily mistakes the feeling of self-importance she gets when she gives money to Gerty for altruism. This feeling is contrasted with the way she feels at the end of the chapter when she considers her possession of Bertha’s letters to Selden a fitting revenge for Bertha’s participation in the successful pairing of Gryce and Evie.
Lily’s naiveté shows in her handling of Rosedale and Trenor. Rosedale implies that Trenor is a philanderer, an inference lost on Lily. Rather than risk a scene with the intoxicated Trenor, Lily agrees to meet him—although he’s indicated he is not interested in “talking.”
