# Bad Weather explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Anton Chekhov. ## What happens During a prolonged rainy spell, Kvashin's wife Nadyezhda Filippovna and her mother grow anxious over his five-day absence from their summer villa. They decide she will visit him in town, only to discover from a porter that he has not been home. Heartbroken, they return home in tears. That evening Kvashin arrives, claiming he was busy with creditors' meetings and never had time to visit his flat. Relieved and overjoyed, the women forgive him, and the family reconciles. ## Themes in this chapter ### Love and Marriage The chapter explores marital anxiety, trust, and reconciliation, as Nadyezhda Filippovna's love for Kvashin leads to suspicion and eventual forgiveness. ### Hypocrisy and Moral Failure Kvashin's lie about his whereabouts and his 'diplomacy' highlight the moral compromises in domestic life, while the women's quick acceptance underscores societal pressures. ### Isolation and Loneliness The rainy weather and Kvashin's absence create a sense of isolation for both the women at the villa and Kvashin alone in town. ## Character check-ins ### Nadyezhda Filippovna Kvashin's wife; anxious about her husband's absence, she travels to town and discovers he has not been home, leading to a tearful confrontation. ### Kvashin A lawyer who stays in town during bad weather due to bronchitis; he lies about his whereabouts, claiming he was busy with creditors, and returns to a relieved family. ### The Mother-in-Law Kvashin's mother-in-law; she shares her daughter's worry, plays patience, and later rejoices at Kvashin's return. ## Key lines > Big raindrops were pattering on the dark windows. It was one of those disgusting summer holiday rains which, when they have begun, last a long time⁠—for weeks, till the frozen holiday maker grows used to it, and sinks into complete apathy. Heavy rain tapped against the dark windows, the kind of unpleasant summer storm that lingers for weeks, eventually numbing the vacationer into indifference. _Opening description sets the dreary, oppressive mood of the chapter._ > He is deceiving us, mamma! He is betraying us, Mother! _Nadyezhda Filippovna's hysterical accusation after learning Kvashin has not been home._ > All serene. Everything is fine. _Kvashin's self-satisfied thought as he settles into bed, content with his successful deception._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/bad-weather - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters