ABSTRACT
Herman Lieberman was hardly someone who in general had difficulties in getting on with women. His calm exterior only highlighted the inner intensity. He was so used to treating the workers, however, as children, incapable of knowing their own best interests, that it may have contributed to his initial attraction to Deutsch Helene. Lieberman was the first man in her life, and Helene was determined to fulfill every ideal of feminine devotion and faithfulness. The romantic attachment between Lieberman and his wife was over quickly. They had little in common and he had soon tired of her. Lieberman developed a physical aversion to his wife, claimed to have ceased having sexual relations with her, and in the end spoke of Gustawa with disgust. From Helene’s point of view, the Lieberman marriage reminded her consciously of the union between her parents.
