Wharton points out that the walk taken by Lily and Rosedale is ironically the same route taken earlier in the novel by Lily and Selden. At the onset of their walk, Lily arrogantly tells herself that she can transform Rosedale into a man deserving of her companionship.
Rosedale is a pragmatic individual. He tells Lily that he does not believe the stories he has heard concerning Lily and Dorset, but also confesses that "my not believing them ain't going to alter the situation." Later, he tells Lily that he desires social position, defending his admission by labeling his aspirations as a hobby, much as another man desires a stable of racing horses or a picture gallery. He further sums up the attitudes of New York society by telling Lily that, even if she is innocent of the accusations brought against her by Bertha, "Everybody knows what Mrs. Dorset is, and her best friends wouldn't believe her on oath where their own interests are concerned; but as long as they're out of the row it's much easier to follow her lead than to set themselves against it, and you've simply been sacrificed to their laziness and selfishness."
Rosedale's deduction that Lily is protecting Selden when she refuses to use the letters to blackmail Bertha may or may not be true. While Lily harbors a love for Selden, she also appears to reject the plan because of the sinister nature of such an act. While Lily may be vain and shallow, she seems here to be more interested in conducting herself in a proper manner. Another interpretation is that Lily rejects Rosedale's plan simply because it is Rosedale who proposes it. After all, Rosedale is not born to the customs of the wealthy class, and Lily naturally would be indignant toward and suspicious of any plan that he might concoct.
Despite the increasing hardships Lily confronts, Wharton continues to lampoon the wealthy social classes. Upon her realization that her tenure with the Gormers is ending, Lily contemplates the daily chores of the socialite, "drudgeries" that include "card-leaving, note-writing, enforced civilities to the dull and elderly, and the smiling endurance of tedious dinners." While Wharton is making a satirical point, Lily remembers those drudgeries with a degree of nostalgia.
