As the story intensifies, Lantin feels so helpless that he seeks to discover the true value of the “worthless articles” (636) that obsessed his wife . . However, completely unaware that their luxurious lifestyle was due to his wife's lover, the author characterizes Lantin as childish and carefree; if he had thought about how they were able to maintain their lifestyle based solely on their simple salary, he would have discovered the flaws in their marriage. His need to constantly show affection for his wife clouded his ability to make sound judgments. Throughout the process of discovering where their good fortune lies, Lantin begins to "recognize his own guilt" (State College of Florida 2), which is no one's fault but his own. The illusions he created allowed him to become more receptive to his wife's suspicious motives. This luxurious lifestyle was short-lived, as were the moments of joy shared between husband and wife, unrelated to imitation jewelry. The materialistic value of jewelry was important but it only caused misery to the