Watch and ward

"Watch and Ward" by Henry James is a late 1800s story about a young man named Roger Lawrence, who is shaken by a chance meeting with a troubled man at a hotel, which mirrors his own difficulties with love. Through Roger's feelings for Isabel Morton and his path to becoming the guardian of an orphan named Nora, the novel looks closely at love, duty, and the difficult parts of being in a relationship. The story kicks off with Roger arriving in town to try and start a romance with Isabel, while dealing with his own lack of self-assurance and romantic letdowns. When he witnesses a desperate stranger, Roger starts to rethink his life and what he owes to others. The story focuses on Roger's deep thinking, his thoughts on relationships, and the problems that come with them. It also hints at how he will change when he gets involved in Nora's life, the daughter of the man he sees at the hotel, presenting a touching look at being a father and the responsibilities that come with it.