Some people turn to astrology as a way of finding answers to their problems. Kate Keller is one such person. She's been trying to find out what's happened to her son Larry, but so far without any luck. So she asks her neighbor Frank to prepare a horoscope. Frank duly does so and tells Kate what she wants to hear: that the day Larry went missing was a fortunate one according to his star chart. This gives Kate a sense of hope, and further convinces her that Larry's missing in action, rather than dead.
Sadly, this turns out not to be the case. Larry is indeed dead; what's more, he crashed his plane on purpose after he discovered his father's role in providing faulty machine parts to the military. Kate's unwillingness to face up to reality stands in stark contrast to the attitude of her late son, but it's perfectly...
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in keeping with the general state of denial that has descended upon the rest of her family.
Frank Lubey is a neighbor of the Kellers who places credence in astrology. Kate tends to interpret simple daily occurrences as signs. In particular, she is constantly seeking corroboration of her belief that her son Larry, who was shot down in the war, is missing rather than dead. Having exhausted all the factual avenues of ascertaining this, she now seeks that confirmation in the supernatural.
Knowing of Frank's beliefs, she asks him to prepare Larry's astrological charts. According to the positive results for the day Larry crashed, which indicate it was a "favorable" or "fortunate" day according to Larry's stars, Frank assures her that it would be virtually impossible for Larry to have died then, and so he must still be alive. Kate seizes on this as evidence for her continued optimism.