Mabel told Charles Burt that ‘it’ was old- fashioned, hoping that he would think it was the picture she was talking about, and not her dress. She longed for Charles’ approval, and hoped he would say that she looked charming. But Charles Burt laughed at her, and this upset her tremendously.
She wished she had the confidence to be sure that Miss Milan was right about her dress and Charles was wrong, but unfortunately that was not so, and Charles’ laughter and his malice made her feel even more humiliated and inferior than before. This shows us that Mabel depended heavily on the approval of others and had no self-esteem.
