Here, we see that this chapter picks up the conflict described in "Rules of the Game" — that is, Waverly's love/hate relationship with her mother. Waverly is now an adult. She is a highly successful tax attorney in a high-powered position. According to her friend Marlene, Waverly is so assertive that she does not even have a problem taking on the IRS. Nonetheless, all of that power dissolves when she has to deal with her mother. She becomes a child again in her mother's presence. Her mother seems all-powerful, and Waverly feels that she must continually prove her worth to her mother. She feels that her mother poisoned her first marriage — and, now, she will not get married again until she gets her mother's approval. She cannot even imagine eloping — even though it is her second marriage. Marlene is astonished that Waverly has difficulty telling her mother that she is getting married. Even Rich is amazed. "How long does it take to say, Mom, Dad, I'm getting married?" he asks jokingly. Because of Waverly's dependence, her mother still has the power to change Waverly's perception of reality.
Waverly adores Rich. He loves her unconditionally and makes her happy in every way. "I had never known love so pure," she says. Yet when she senses that her mother does not approve of Rich, her own opinion of him sours. Rich tumbles from being a sort of god to being an animal. "He had the look of a Dalmatian, panting, loyal, waiting to be petted," she says in disgust.
