A Doll’s House and “Sweat” both feature wives who decide to abandon their husbands, after some extreme behavior on the husband’s part in both instances. However, at the beginning of A Doll’s House, Nora’s marriage to Torvald appears happy, even though he treats her like a child. Sykes, however, is consistently cruel and abusive in his behavior toward Delia, and it is clear to everyone that their marriage is miserable, particularly for her. This is the central factor that makes betrayal a more obvious issue in A Doll’s House than in “Sweat.” Delia cannot be said to betray Sykes, as she makes it quite clear that she hates him well before she leaves him to die. Given his own conduct, he could not reasonably have expected any better from her. Sykes has certainly betrayed Delia, however, abandoning his marriage vows with his flagrant infidelity and doing everything he can to frighten and harm her.

In A Doll’s House, Torvald could be said to betray Nora or vice versa. Torvald is the first to declare their marriage a sham and reject Nora. However, he does this in the heat of the moment and quickly repents. It is Nora who calmly and calculatingly decides to abandon her husband at the end. Both feel betrayed, and Nora regards Torvald as never having been the man she thought he was. Who is to blame for their parting is left for the audience to decide.