It’s important to note that while Ida feels bogged down by Frank, it’s primarily because she can’t act as efficiently with him as she can on her own. Unlike a conventionally feminine mother, Ida is belligerent and almost coldly pragmatic, but the novel valorizes these characteristics by linking them firmly to her family’s survival. Even Ida’s use of the word “self-love” underlines her inherent generosity; since she’s using the word to describe her family, it demonstrates her intense devotion to them.