.
He first meets the general's homely daughter, who is leaving on a family trip. She seems nave, but is very satisfied with her life, and a very devoted wife, daughter and mother. She leads him to a small house in her backyard, and leaves him to be. Automatically, from inside the small house, the general is yelling curses, profanities, and unbelievably rude remarks demeaning his own daughter and Charles. Charles is shocked and frightened by this menacing blind veteran, who seems to know all and have a love for alcohol. Personally, I would have been crying at this point if I were in Charles' place. Charles was about to give up on this job, but the daughter gently persuaded him into accepting. This started the weekend that would change Charles' life.
The general had secretly planned an expensive trip, using saved-up disability checks, to New York City, much to Charles' aghast. The general, though blind, automatically takes the leading position, commanding Charles to perform various tasks. In New York, the general takes Charles to an expensive restaurant ("Eighty-dollar hamburgers?!?-), where Charles demands the meaning for this trip. The general explains that his plan is to eat an enjoyable meal, stay in an expensive hotel, see his brother, make love to a beautiful woman, than blow his brains out. Obviously, the general was preparing to commit suicide, and Charles was anxiously scared and confused.
(Charles wanted to go back to the university at this time to try and sort out his problem and the general had pried the problem out. He told Charles that Greg was going to use his rich father and "sing- so he might as well "sing- too.).
Thanksgiving day, the general bought Charles and himself expensive tailor-made suits, to prepare to see his brother ("Wait til you see the look on their faces- my brother loves me!-) Quite the opposite. The general's family gave him such an unwelcome entrance and meal that it even made me feel uncomfortable.
