Edward Horner was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but the spoon is tarnished as he suffers from a debilitating lack of self respect and self confidence. This has dire consequences for him in his later years as he squanders his inherited fortune due to his irrational determination to prove himself. It also creates an inability to confidently implement his own creative ideas.

Edward's marriage to Cynthia fails as he avoids the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood. His relationships and the various enterprises that he attempts to establish all fail as a result of his lack of self-confidence and his failure to be forceful about his opinions. Frustration at his helplessness and fear of failure become his constant companions. Coupled with this is his failure to provide for his old age due to his incessant unrealistic imaginings of success and wealth. Dream follows dream until suddenly there is no time for another dream.

As Edward's deteriorating financial status gains momentum, he becomes the victim of his own naïve and desperate behaviour. The position of weakness that he constantly finds himself in adds to his frustration and despair. Belatedly he begins to see the error of his ways but is incapable of changing the debilitating self image and lack of confidence that he has been burdened with during his lifetime.

Edward's failure isn't solely of his own making though.