These three families in each of the stories were dysfunctional, for example in Eveline The mother had died leaving Eveline, the young daughter, to play the role of a dutiful housewife taking care of the family, in he also had to work and bring home his salary to his abusive father who never seems to show any appreciation towards him; in fact the father was very patriarchal, “when they were little he didn't go for Eveline like he did for her two brothers”, because she was a girl (Joyce, p. 4). At that time they lived in a patriarchal society. Another demonstration of a dysfunctional family was in the story "Trifles", Mrs. Wright, a farmer's wife, is suspected of killing her emotionally abusive husband John Wright. Isolated from the world due to her husband's poor treatment, Minnie was forced into a state of solitude that drove her to murder. Mr. Hale once described Minnie as happy: "I heard she wore nice clothes and was lively, when she was Minnie Foster." Note Mrs. Hale's description of Mrs. Wright being happy