I see a little change in Lily Bart in the tenth chapter of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. I am hoping that throughout the book I will continue to see changes in her. All her life she's almost abused the money she has had and it took her not having any to realize that she should not take advantage of it and take it for granted. She felt genuinely sad for and sympathetic for Miss Farish and the charity she worked for so she bought the dressing-case for her.

 The best part about this is that "The satisfaction derived from this act was all that the most ardent moralist could have desired (Wharton 90). Lily felt satisfaction for doing a good deed. This is such progress from when she got satisfaction from buying things for herself. I am a little let down, though, when she thinks that this one incident made up for all the previous extravagances she had indulged in, and any she might later indulge in.

 I just wish she would have had like a complete turn-around point here and had it all click in her head that she should be generous with the money she makes. But then again, the book would probably end there and I am not even half way through! Hopefully though, she will come around towards the end.