To be perfectly honest, I do believe that Homer did posess free will, which leads me to believe that the townspeople weren't totally to blame for the restrained relationship Emily had with him.  On the other hand, when viewed in terms of society and the effects that people and their thoughts and opinions can have on others and their actions, I would have to say that the townspeople probably had as much to do with the failure of the doomed relationship as anything else.  I'm not sure if you are familiar with a quote, I believe it is from No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, "Hell is other people," but it seems so fitting in this situation doesn't it?  Brenda