The Well of Loneliness

While many of Valérie Seymour’s guests are upset over the deaths of Jaime and Barbara, Stephen and Mary are the most affected. Stephen feels directly responsible, since she had insisted it would be okay to leave that night. Mary is filled with a new “fear” that haunts her constantly. She obsesses over the gruesome details of Jaime’s suicide and Barbara’s illness.

Stephen starts going to Valérie Seymour’s often, striking up a “real friendship” with her. She talks to her about all her problems: her guilt over Jaime, her anger over fate’s treatment of Jaime and Barbara, her anger over how the Church treats homosexuals, and, most of all, how Mary is being robbed of her youth. Valérie tries to be reassuring; she does believe the future will be less hateful towards homosexuals. She tells Stephen that she hates those who remain in the closet as they are doing a disservice to homosexuals in general by denying their nature. She tells Stephen the women who worked so well during the Great War have proven that women deserve respect. She says homosexuals should construct their own religion instead of relying on others if they want acceptance and respect.