# II: Peter the Boss in Love explained — Downstream > Chapter companion for Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz. ## What happens Peter Selamb, alone at Selambshof on a warm July evening, reflects on his past and his books. His solitude is interrupted by Frida Öberg, the laundress from Majängen, who rekindles his repressed desires. Peter becomes infatuated with Frida, leading him to court her with gifts and letters. Meanwhile, his refusal to allow the residents of Majängen to lay water pipes without payment sparks a public scandal and a newspaper campaign against him. The chapter culminates in Frida giving birth to a son, Bernhard, and Peter being summoned to court. ## Themes in this chapter ### Money and Power Peter's refusal to allow water pipes without payment demonstrates his use of land ownership to exert power, even against his own interests, and the public backlash highlights the conflict between wealth and community welfare. ### Sexuality and Repression Peter's repressed boyhood dreams about Frida resurface, leading to a clumsy and anxious courtship. His love is mingled with worry about expense and vulnerability, showing his struggle with desire and control. ### Social Class and Ambition The contrast between Peter's position as the wealthy landowner and the impoverished residents of Majängen underscores class divisions. Peter's ambition to maintain his status clashes with the community's needs. ## Character check-ins ### Peter Selamb Sits alone in his office, examines old books, and becomes infatuated with Frida Öberg. He courts her with gifts and letters, but also faces public backlash for his refusal to allow water pipes in Majängen. ### Frida Öberg The laundress from Majängen who delivers laundry to Selambshof. She becomes the object of Peter's desire, exchanges letters with him, and later gives birth to his son, Bernhard. ### Mr. Brundin Referenced through Peter's memories of Brundin's handwriting in the old books, evoking feelings of sickness and a sense that Brundin cheated him of something. ### Bernhard The newborn son of Frida Öberg and Peter Selamb, whose birth is awaited with interest by the Majängen community as a means of vengeance against Peter. ## Key lines > Peter puffed aloud. He cursed the low, mellow, rich sunshine and the still air in which so many small winged creatures were hovering about! Peter sighed heavily and complained about the warm, calm evening and the insects flying around. _Shows Peter's irritation and loneliness on a summer evening._ > He positively endowed her with a calculating cunning and a mysterious seductive self-interest. But the more difficult and dangerous he made her, the more he must love her. He imagined Frida as clever and selfish, which only increased his attraction to her. _Reveals Peter's paranoid and self-defeating view of love._ > The ground is mine, and if you want to put down pipes you will have to pay for them. Peter insisted that since he owned the land, residents must pay him for permission to install water pipes. _Illustrates Peter's stubborn and unwise refusal to allow basic infrastructure._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/downstream_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-peter-the-boss-in-love - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/downstream_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/downstream_se/chapters