In Nella Larsen's Passing, Clare's comments to Irene at the end of part 2 clarify the essential division between them. Irene does not accept the nature of this division, that Clare is vicious and she herself is virtuous, but she does feel its existence. She is more inclined to think that the two of them simply have different temperaments and priorities. While Irene is devoted to her family, Clare cares more about money and status, an attitude Irene characterizes as Clare's "having" nature.

After she says these words, Clare begins to cry "for no reason that Irene could discover." The women are too different to understand each other, and Clare's tears may well be caused by her own failure to communicate. However, it is clear to the reader, and eventually to Irene, that Clare's determination to have the things she wants is ultimately the cause of her undoing, since she was willing to marry a violent racist and live an inauthentic life for the purpose.