Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Marvin Macy

There are reasons to grant Marvin sympathy. We could argue that his heart's been broken, or his masculine pride was ruined when Miss Amelia rejects marital intimacy right off the bat. Marvin comes from a difficult childhood, too. But whatever the reasons for his cruelty, there's no getting around the pleasure he gets from being a dirtbag is a glee usually reserved for Batman villains. 

Alcoholism

In "A Domestic Dilemma" it's easy to think of alcoholic wife Emily as the enemy, sprinkling cayenne on the cinnamon toast and dropping the baby in the bathtub. But as her husband makes it clear, in the good old days Emily did just fine, and it's the sherry that's causing the problem.

This positioning was before its time, (only a decade and a half after the founding of AA), and watching alcohol doom Emily and her family reminds us that part of the author's legacy is her own attachment to alcohol.