# Chapter II explained — A Hazard of New Fortunes

> Chapter companion for A Hazard of New Fortunes by William Dean Howells.

## What happens

Beaton visits Mrs. Horn's Thursday gathering, where he converses with Margaret Vance about her charitable work and the Dryfoos family. Mrs. Horn, concerned about Margaret's devotion to social causes, tries to rekindle her interest in art. Later, Beaton goes to the Dryfooses' home, where Mrs. Mandel confronts him about his frequent visits and his intentions toward the young ladies.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Mobility

The Dryfooses' social awkwardness and Mrs. Mandel's role as a social guide highlight the challenges of class mobility in New York society.

### Labor and Social Justice

Margaret Vance's promotion of a buttonhole workers' strike and her charitable work illustrate the tensions between social reform and upper-class expectations.

## Character check-ins

### Angus Beaton

Beaton interacts with Margaret Vance and Mrs. Horn, feeling slighted by an implication about his honesty. He then visits the Dryfooses, where Mrs. Mandel challenges his motives.

### Margaret Vance

Margaret discusses her charitable work with Beaton, showing her earnest commitment to social causes, which concerns her aunt.

### Mrs. Horn

Mrs. Horn worries about Margaret's devotion to good works and tries to steer her back to art and society, subtly appealing to Beaton for help.

### Christine Dryfoos

Christine is mentioned as one of the young ladies Beaton visits, though she is not present during his call.

### Mrs. Mandel

Mrs. Mandel confronts Beaton about his frequent visits to the Dryfooses, questioning his intentions toward the young ladies.

## Key lines

> She had decided not to renew the effort she had made in the spring; because she could not do them good as fellow-creatures needing food and warmth and work, and she would not try to befriend them socially; she had a horror of any such futile sentimentality.

Margaret chose not to continue her previous attempts to help the Dryfoos sisters, feeling she could not truly assist them as equals and wanting to avoid empty social gestures.

_Margaret's internal conflict about her charitable role and social boundaries._

> He’s the kind of person that you might suppose gave the Catholics a hint for the cloistral life; he’s a cloistered nature⁠—the nature that atones and suffers for.

Beaton describes Conrad Dryfoos as having a monastic, self-sacrificing personality.

_Beaton's characterization of Conrad's earnest and ascetic nature._

> She had dark hours in which she even feared her entire withdrawal from the world in a life of good works.

Mrs. Horn worried that Margaret might completely abandon society to devote herself to charity.

_Mrs. Horn's anxiety about Margaret's extreme dedication to social causes._

> If you are not⁠—Mrs. Mandel continued to smile, but the smile had grown more perfunctory, and it had an icy gleam.

Mrs. Mandel's smile became cold and formal as she pressed Beaton about his intentions.

_The tension in Mrs. Mandel's confrontation with Beaton._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-fifth-ii
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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters