How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
He begged her, "Margaret, go easy on me. You ought to. I'm at the end of my rope and feel that I'm suffocating. You don't want to be responsible for a person's destruction. You've got to let up. I feel I'm about to burst. [. . .] You've got to let me breathe. If I should keel over, what then? And it's something I can never understand about you. How you can treat someone like this whom you lived with so long. Who gave you the best of himself. Who tried. Who loved you." (7.82)
As he does with his father, Wilhelm expects Margaret's forgiveness and mercy, with no strings attached. He demands compassion and kindness from his family, but cannot humble himself enough to admit that he's done wrong. Yep, this train is going nowhere fast. Or maybe it's already wrecked.