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."
Bart to the Future
Bart disrupts one of Lisa's addresses to the nation to promote his music career, which leads Lisa to be branded unpopular when Bart sings to the public on live television that Lisa will be imposing a tax to get the country out of debt. Lisa later meets with the leaders of America's creditor nations, who demand that America pay them back. Bart steps in and uses his skills at stalling debt collectors to save the day, pleasing Lisa who had previously been mad at her brother. As a thank-you, Bart asks Lisa to "legalize it", and Lisa says she will. Meanwhile, Homer has heard about gold buried by Abraham Lincoln on the grounds of the White House and starts a search for it. When he finally locates the ""gold"", it is in fact a chest with a scroll in it that Lincoln had written on explaining that his "gold" is "in the heart of every freedom-loving American." Homer does not appreciate the metaphor and angrily curses Lincoln. After the vision is over, Bart promises that he will change. Lisa finds Bart and tells him that the family has been kicked out of the casino after Homer pushed a waitress and Marge lost $20,000. Bart tells Lisa about his vision of the future where he has a rock band and a moped, while downplaying Lisa's future presidency as ""some government job"".