He shows up as a pathetic bible salesman with an ailing heart, which is coincidentally exactly what Hulga has. He lays the old guilt trip on Mrs. Hopewell on how no one wants to deal with a simple country boy like himself, he attacks her weakness right at the heart of it. Not more than two minutes after he knocked on the door, he ends up eating dinner with them and at the conclusion is even invited to return any time he feels like it. Just by the way he acts prevents Mrs. Hopewell blinds from being suspicious of Manley. At the end of the story, we see that Mrs. Hopewell is still clouded by her weakness and refers to Manley as simple as he passes through a field by Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. .
Unlike Mrs. Hopewell, Hulga faces and comes to a realization of her weakness. She has grown cynical and cold as she grew up with only one leg and heart ailment, and has created an image that she is smarter and better than the rest of the characters in the story. Her education and self-absorption seemed to instill this attitude in her to a greater extent than if she hadn't studied and read so much. Her weakness is the feeling of power she believed she gained from her studies. She refers to herself as a person who "sees through nothing". Her hidden desires cause her several problems later on. After years of education and self-absorption, Hulga felt that she had no weaknesses. "Science wishes to know nothing of nothing" and this is the quote followed by Hulga. Her line of thinking turned out to be a weakness in itself. Her weaknesses are so prominent and hurtful from her childhood that she doesn't want to be reminded of them. Manley Pointer puts Hulga into a position where she feels in control. "She took all his shame away and turned it into something useful". She believes that she is manipulating Manley, but it is he who is doing the manipulating. She lets her guard down because she feels in such great control and becomes comfortable with Manley.