as being empty beneath their facade of confidence and superiority. Some time later, the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes meet once more, and this time it is Margaret who becomes close to the family, first to Ruth Wilcox, and after Ruth's death to Henry. Helen objects, but Margaret accepts Henry's proposal just the same.
As noted, Margaret is the older sister. She seems to be the more thoughtful and rational of the two sisters, but she is also impulsive. She serves in the novel as the glue holding a number of different personalities together. Helen encounters the Wilcoxes and is ultimately offended by them, but she still has continuing personal relations with them because her sister does. The same is true of Leonard Bast, who also might be omitted from this circle except for Margaret. Margaret is intellectual and liberal in her views, very much the daughter of her father, and she i
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