 Willy Trout's love for Constantine as well as Constantine's interest in Kenneth in the first section and the priest Tony Clavering-Haight in the second, helps Bowen juxtapose and compare heterosexual and homosexual relationships.Although the negative effect of Eva's father's selfish love for Constantine on Eva makes several critics suspicious of homophobic proclivities on Bowen's part, the heterosexual relationships in the novel are as negatively portrayed.As a socially awkward girl, Eva needs special attention in her adolescence.