"I am prone to indulge in an occasional hilarity", wrote Alcott's wife Abby May, "but seem frowned down into still quiet and peace-less order... am almost suffocated in this atmosphere of restriction and form".
“我倾向沉迷于一种临时的欢闹”，奥尔柯特的妻子艾比·梅（英语：Abby May）写道，“但似乎还是陷入愁苦皱眉的安静和无序……【而且】这种限制的和形式的氛围几乎让人窒息”。