The House of Mirth
The central theme of "The House of Mirth" is essentially "the struggle between who we are and what society tells us we should be". Thus, it is considered by many to be as relevant today as it was in 1905. If its sole subject had been the excesses and lives of the rich and famous, by themselves, it is doubtful it would have remained popular for as long as it has. "The House of Mirth" continues to attract readers over a century after its first publication, possibly due to its timeless theme. That the life and death of Lily Bart matters to modern readers suggests that Wharton succeeded in her purpose: to critique "a society so relentlessly materialistic and self-serving that it casually destroys what is most beautiful and blameless within it."
Larry's Wife
Lily's (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) cat, Larry, has been missing for few days and Lily starts asking where he is. Mitchell and Cameron do not want to upset her, so they tell her that Larry will get back home, despite the fact that they are convinced that Larry is dead. Mitchell disagrees with Cameron about lying to Lily and that they have to tell her the truth. Later, when Cameron tries to tell Lily that Larry is not coming back, he tells her the reason: he got married and left with his wife. While saying that, Larry is back home and he changes his story by telling Lily that Larry's wife died. Cameron plans a funeral for Larry's wife but it ends up being a disaster making Cameron having second thoughts about planning the wedding alone.