Ruth’s husband, Zack, is an inveterate hoarder who has filled their house and yard with trash. When Ruth first moved into the house, newly married and pregnant, Zack’s mother—also named Ruth—tyrannized her. Ruth nicknamed her mother-in-law “Mother Ruthless.” Even now that the old woman is dead, Ruth still feels her oppressive spirit around the house. Zack, meanwhile, is resigned to Ruth’s relationship with Sully, as long as they are not too brazen and do not attract too much attention. Ruth has recently noticed that she is banging into things more frequently, causing bruising.

Ruth is frustrated with her life and fantasizes about living in a “parallel universe” (125). As she and her husband bicker, they are interrupted by their granddaughter, Tina, who struggles at school and has had multiple eye operations. When Zack leaves to help Tina fix the fan in her room, Ruth allows herself to cry. Roy telephones asking for a lift home from the emergency room. Ruth initially assumes that he has hurt Janey or that Janey injured him while trying to defend herself.