# XI: That Which Remains explained — Dangerous Ages

> Chapter companion for Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay.

## What happens

Neville suffers a nervous breakdown from overwork, confronting the onset of middle age and the loss of youth and beauty. She reflects on her ambitions, vanity, and the emptiness of her future roles as wife and mother. Meanwhile, she worries about Nan's reckless involvement with Stephen Lumley in Rome, suspects a tragic love triangle involving Barry and Gerda, and discusses with Pamela how to counter Rosalind's spreading scandal. Neville plans to visit Nan but falls ill with influenza before she can act.

## Themes in this chapter

### Aging and Mortality

Neville's confrontation with middle age, grey hair, wrinkles, and the loss of youth and beauty.

### Ambition and Vanity

Neville's struggle with her desire to work and count, and her admission of vanity about mind and body.

### Love, Marriage, and Freedom

Nan's possible desperate affair with Lumley, Barry's shifting affections, and Gerda's resistance to marriage.

## Character check-ins

### Neville Bendish

Suffers a nervous breakdown, confronts middle age, vanity, and loss of purpose; worries about Nan and Gerda.

### Gerda

Recovering from a nervous breakdown, passive and depressed; Neville sees her as obstinate about marriage.

### Nan Hilary

In Rome with Stephen Lumley, possibly out of desperation; Neville fears she was hurt by Barry's shift to Gerda.

### Pamela Neville

Calm and detached; discusses Nan's situation and advises ignoring scandal; Neville envies her equanimity.

### Barry Briscoe

Now involved with Gerda; Neville speculates he may have rebounded from Nan.

### Rosalind Hilary

Spreading scandal about Nan; Neville dismisses her as unchanging and scum-like.

## Key lines

> Middle age had begun. She would have off days in future, when she would look old and worn instead of always, as hitherto, looking charming.

Neville realizes that her youth is ending and she will no longer consistently appear attractive.

_Neville's acceptance of aging and loss of beauty._

> Vanity, vanity, all is vanity … and now the silver cord is going

Neville reflects on her vanity and the approaching end of her vitality.

_Biblical allusion to Ecclesiastes and the 'silver cord' from Ecclesiastes 12:6._

> Men were blind fools; men were fickle children.

Neville thinks men are foolish and changeable, especially in love.

_Neville's frustration with Barry's fickleness and the romantic entanglements._

> These family jobs—they still go on, they never cease, even when one is getting middle-aged and one’s brain has gone to pot. They remain, always, the jobs of the affections.

Neville feels that caring for family members is a never-ending duty, even as she ages and loses her mental sharpness.

_Neville's sense of ongoing responsibility despite her own breakdown._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/xi-that-which-remains
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dangerous_ages_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters