Ralph Marvell walks to his Union Square home after the opera. As he sits before the fireplace, he reflects on his past. He received a good education; he went to Harvard and then Oxford, and he finished with a degree in law. Like other gentlemen of his day, after graduating he was not expected to do much with his law degree and was especially not pressed to make money. The general custom, in cases such as his, was to “lapse into more or less cultivated inaction” as his life’s path. Following the rules of his society, he should actually cultivate a disdain for “mere money-getting.”

It is not that the Marvells have a lot of money, but Ralph would be allotted enough to live on for his entire life if he is frugal. All he wants for the extra expenses in his life is the ability to buy all the books he desires and to go on occasional vacations.

Ralph is a very solitary figure. He reflects on this aspect of his personality and compares it to a chance discovery he made as a child when he found a special cave at the shore. It was a sometimes-inaccessible place that could only be reached between tides. He never told anyone about it, fearing that it would not be the same if anyone else shared it. His inner world is similar to this cave, he finds. Like the cave, his inner world is also difficult to access and he seldom shares it. He had come close to sharing it once, with his cousin Clare Dagonet. However, just as she was about to near the entrance of his “cave,” he left the States for Spain. When he returned, Clare was married to Peter Van Degen. Clare’s turning away from him left his cave very dark. After this, he swore he would never marry.

Now, instead of pursuing women, Ralph seeks knowledge. He wants to know what the great thinkers of the world know. He also would like to write or paint. He dabbles in the arts, but so far he has given up before finishing any project.

He had all but forgotten about his boyhood cave and the way it had made him feel until he met Undine Spragg. He classifies Undine as one of the invaders of New York Society, someone who is not corrupted by all the social customs. He is attracted to her frankness and simplicity, which is rarely found in the women of his social circle. He worries, though, about the influences of Popple and Van Degen. He saw them at the opera attempting to influence Undine. Then Ralph wonders if his main mission should be to save Undine from those two men. He admits that he is not blind to Undine’s limitations, but he accepts them as part of her grace. It is her innocence that attracts him to her. However, her sensitivity to new impressions makes her vulnerable to men who would prey on her. When he fantasizes about his role in her life, he sees himself as the one who will rescue her.