Farrington's difficulties begin at his clerical job when his boss — whom he addresses as "Mr. Alleyne" — berates him for not having finished an assignment.

Instead of applying himself immediately to the task, the alcoholic Farrington slips out of the office for a glass of porter.

However, his revelries end in two humiliations: a perceived slight by an elegant young woman and defeat in an arm-wrestling contest.

He tells his youngest son, Tom, to make dinner but the child lets the fire in the kitchen go out.

For Joyce's contemporaneous audience, the term "counterparts" could be expected to suggest (hand-written) duplicate copies of legal documents.