Krogstad and Christine are alone, while the Helmers and Dr. Rank are upstairs at the party. Krogstad reproached Christine for renouncing their betrothal, years ago, leaving him for another man in order to support her and her family. After she had already wrecked their relationship, Christine shows up again in town again, taking over his hard-won position at the bank. However, this is not Christine 's intent. She says that she had returned to town to seek Krogstad and pursue their love for each other once more. Krogstad also feels the same way and comes to the decision to ask Torvald to return his letter. However, Christine changes her mind, deciding that Torvald should find out the truth in order for Nora and Torvald to realize a true marriage. …show more content…
Confronting her husband across a table, Nora proceeds to the "settling of accounts." First of all, she says, this is the first time in eight years "that we two, you and I, husband and wife, have had a serious conversation. . . . We have never sat down in earnest together to try and get at the bottom of things."(Ibsen 74) Over Torvald 's sputtered objections, she outlines the life she has been living in the "doll 's house." First, she lived with her father who treated her like a toy, whose opinions and tastes she had to followed because he would be dissatisfied with any sign of independence. She says"...he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls. And when I came to live with you I was simply transferred from Papa 's hands to yours."(76) Torvald made all the arrangements in their life, so she never developed her own tastes or ideas for herself. Torvald admits some of the truth in what she says. It shall be different in the future, he vows, "playtime shall be over and lesson time shall begin." However, she says that he is not the person to educate herself. She isnt ready to bring up her children because she must do something in her life before being with them once more. "I must try and educate myself," she says, "and I must do that for