Dukhiram comes home after being tired from work only to be met with his wife’s sarcasm, which leads to him plunging a knife into her head that kills her. Intentional or not, he doesn’t seem to show any remorse until the Ramlochan appears on the scene. When Ramlochan asks why Dukhiram is crying, Chidam just blurts out that his wife Chandara killed his older brother’s wife. Despite blurting that lie, Chidam clings onto Ramlochan screaming “how can I save my wife?” (Pg 895).

Chidam may have blurted out that his wife killed his older brother’s wife on impulse, not thinking of the repercussions. If Chidam had said his brother killed his own wife, then he’d be losing his brother. Ramlochan tells Chidam “Then say what actually happened. You can’t protect yourself on all sides” (Pg 895). Either way, he would be losing one of the two people closest to him. Despite hearing that, he chooses his brother and decides that Chandara would be the better choice to lose. Chidam tells Chandara to take the blame and assures her that as long as she follows his words, she will be safe. Even though Chidam says that, he most likely knew that she would die for taking the blame, but he tells her anyways with “his throat dry and his face pale” (pg 895). Chandara ultimately follows the advice and ends up with the death sentence.

To Chidam, the value of his brother is worth much more than that of his wife. Since his brother may be his only blood relative, Chidam may see it that way. However, his wife is also his family yet he throws her under the bus for something she had no part in. She may not be blood related, but she is also one of the closest people he has. Despite all that, Chidam says “If I lose my wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him?” (Pg 895). Ultimately, he sees his wife as an object. His brother cannot be replaced because he is blood related, but a woman who is married to him can be replaced with him getting married again. The idea of wives being replaced shows that women had no power in the household, since they could easily be switched out or replaced as long as the man wanted to or needed to.

This whole dilemma may have been a hard choice for Chidam, since it was obvious from the start that he would be losing one of the two. Despite the fact that the whole reason why Chandara will die is because of Chidam, Chidam still wanted to see Chandara before her death by hanging. He may have wanted to see her for the last time or simply because he felt guilty for putting the blame on her, but Chandara refuses to see him knowing that she has to die and he is the whole reason why this tragedy has happened.