Phebe also comes home, no longer the servant that Rose "adopted" but as a young woman with a cultured singing ability, having formally studied music.

After some time at home, Rose comes out into society, though Uncle Alec is hesitant because he fears it will have a negative impact on her.

After her three months of society are over, Rose begins to focus on her philanthropic projects and convinces Charlie to refrain from alcohol and achieve temperance in order to win her love and respect.

Charlie's life ends in an alcohol-induced accident on the eve of a voyage to India to see his father and join his business.

He publishes a small book of poetry to wide critical success, earning her respect even more deeply.

[5] The Springfield Daily Union pointed out that Alcott included her common theme of females having a moral influence on others.

[11] Philanthropy was a common practice among Victorian women of high social status, and it appeared frequently in literature.

[12] Rose’s philanthropic acts are largely guided by Uncle Alec, who urges her to encourage financial independence in whom she aids.

[13] Author Claudia Mills describes Rose’s philanthropy as “an amateurish avocation” because she relies on others to tell her how to be charitable.

[14] One of Rose's role models is Abigail Gibbons, who accompanied Alcott on a charity tour preceding the novel's publication.

[17] According to author Kristina West, her dissatisfaction also demonstrates Rose's middle-class expectations of how the poor should live.

[20] Uncle Alec, who encourages Rose’s independence, has taught her to reject Victorian ideas of how a woman should act.

[24] Her eventual marriage to Archie brings an end to her vocation as a professional singer, contrasting with Rose’s belief in the compatibility of having both a profession and a family.

[26] When Charlie breaks his promise to Rose that he will stop drinking alcohol, he violates the Victorian belief that women are the means by which men become moral.

[29] Rose spends some of her time in society teaching Mac how to dress and act like a gentleman, ultimately shaping him into a suitable romantic partner for herself that resembles Uncle Alec.

[32] Young men find Phebe attractive but do not court her because she is a poor orphan, and people praise her for “keeping her place” in society.

[34] Phebe also leaves because she does not want the Campbells to think she wants to marry him for a higher social status, and she decides not to return until she has something to sacrifice in order to do so.