When reading one of Isben's plays, a reader may not examine the meaning of the male characters because Isben writes primarily about women. In the play, Torvald is seen as a high-ranking person in the workforce. However, when speaking to someone like Krogstad, who is not on the same rank as him, the reader sees that he has no respect for anyone lower than him and that "Krogstad's presence is unacceptable because it compromises his new status as manager.” (Lee 6). Nora begs her husband to forgive Krogstad but “Torvald insists that the world of private attachments must remain separate from business relationships” (Lee 6). In the Victorian era, men ranked among the highest in the workforce only spoke with those who shared the same title as them. This also demonstrates that men in the 1800s were more concerned with their careers than their personal relationships outside of work. At the end of the play, Nora wishes her husband would save her like she saved him, but Torvald becomes selfish and "unable to take responsibility for what she has done" (McFarlane 16). This suggests that Torvald, much like Victorian men, only cares about his reputation rather than that of his wife. However, both men and women were unable to express themselves during this period, which may explain why men acted the way they did, given that they were