Vivian is so fearful that the Nielsens will send her away that she represses her rebellious teenaged instincts and carefully follows all of their instructions. She does not experiment with boyfriends or disobedient behavior because she does not want to risk upsetting the Nielsens and having them send her away.

When she is in high school, Vivian takes control at the store; she convinces Mr. Nielsen to modernize and bring in products that young women want, such as hosiery, scarves, costume jewelry, and cosmetics. Her ideas are a great success, and the store grows and prospers.

When she graduates from high school, she takes over the management of the store and attends college business classes at night. She watches all of her friends get engaged, but Vivian wants no part of marriage. 

Molly makes a vegetarian dinner, but Dina hates the meal. She complains about Molly and her weird food, claiming that they cannot afford it. Dina blows up when Molly points out that they are getting money for her being there. Dina accuses Molly of being a thief—bringing Anne of Green Gables out of Molly’s room as proof—and throws her out of the house.

Molly, who has tried so hard to get along with Ralph and Dina, is devastated, but she packs her bags and leaves.