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."
The Haw-Hawed Couple
Meanwhile, Homer finds himself hooked on one of Lisa's fantasy books, choosing to read an Angelica Button book to Lisa (a gender-swapped parody of the Harry Potter books), instead of having sex with Marge (however the first time, Homer is willing to do so, so he rushes on Lisa's tuck in until Homer gets interested in the book). Homer eventually reads ahead and finds that one of the characters, Greystash, is killed while trying to save Angelica (also spoiling the twist to a now angered telephone repair man that happened to be reading another copy of the novel). Upon hearing that Greystash dying would be the end of Lisa's childhood, Homer is unable to bring himself to read the last chapter to Lisa, and improvises a happy ending instead involving Greystash defeating the evil wizard. Afterwards, Lisa reads the real ending and decides that Homer's ending was better. During the credits, Homer is seen at Moe's Tavern, still mourning the loss of the Headmaster ("No man should have to outlive his fictional wizard!") while Moe, Lenny and Carl look at him.