Sybylla again demonstrates her habit of self-deprecation by describing herself as “not quite all criminality” in comparison to her mother’s virtue. She recognizes her own faults, but she refuses to conform to her mother’s expectations. Sybylla reveals some disdain for traditional femininity in her remark that the more conventional Gertie cannot feel as deeply as she can. Despite that disparagement, Sybylla envies Gertie and other traditional girls, presenting another internal conflict. Though Sybylla discounts Gertie’s love as “little,” shallow, and “fleeting and fickle,” Gertie’s show of affection briefly fulfills Sybylla’s desire to be loved.