The Debtor: A Novel

"The Debtor: A Novel" by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman is a story that takes place in the early 1900s, inside the village of Banbridge which is close to a rich city, detailing the lives of its people. The focus lays on the women who care about being socially correct, as they try to find their way through the complicated rules about what is proper and what social class you belong to, with topics such as wealth and how people treat each other. The novel begins in Banbridge, a place where what society thinks affects everything everyone does. The first part of the book describes Mrs. Henry Lee and Mrs. William Van Dorn as they embark on a spring afternoon adventure, paying visits to others in style in a private coach. Their journey leads to difficult and funny situations, when they realize that the new family in town, the Carrolls, are not home and have left their front door open. The setting includes detailed information regarding who everyone is, and the drama between what they want and how society wants them to act. They dive into topics of goals, principles, and the risks of curiosity.