In this odd scene from the beginning of the book, Therese tries on a red dress and feels like she's seeing her true identity. Nothing like this happens again, but red is a traditional literary symbol of lust and passion, so Therese is seeing an inner passion on the outside.

Therese sees her inner passion when she tries on the dress, but she's unsure what it is. At this point, she can't be the person she wants to be because she's unsure of who that is.

When Therese meets Mrs. Robichek, she sees a potential fate for herself: working (and probably dying) at Frankenberg's. Those are the choices society gives to young women in this time period—work a dull job until you're married, or don't marry and stay there forever. Yikes.