Throughout the novel, A Handful of Dust, Tony symbolises and personifies heritage and old traditional values. Brenda, his wife, paradoxically symbolises and personifies the disregard of heritage and tradition and break down of moral values of the upper class at the time. And through the breakdown of Tony and Brenda's relationship, Waugh shows how the last vestiges of these moral values and tradition were being mindlessly forgotten. This is particularly evident in this section of the novel. This is first evident on page 80 in Brenda's note to Tony. When dictating to Tony where she wishes her friends to stay, she not only shows disrespect to Tony but also to the house which he holds most dear in his life, a house which he made and keeps for her and one which represents his heritage ad tradition. When Brenda says Veronica "can go anywhere-not Galahad" she is explicitly telling Tony of her disdain for that room, conveying her belief that even though Veronica is evidently not that picky about where she stays as she can "go anywhere" the Galahad room is simply so awful in Brenda's eyes that it is not fit for her friend. This complete disregard for Tony's livelihood, represented by Hetton, continues on page 81 upon their arrival. It starts with Mrs Beaver addressing Brenda; "My poor Brenda, it's an appalling room." Firstly her saying "My poor Brenda" makes Brenda out to be the victim, as if Tony has done her wrong with the house. When in fact she is having an affair in London in a flat which Tony pays for her to live in. This immediately highlights Waugh's concern with the moral decline of the women in this novel. They have the nerve to come into Tony's home, one they know he has dedicated his life to living in and keeping, and yet with total disregard are telling Brenda of how horrible they think it is, right in front of Tony. Waugh reminds us f this as Tony replies to this statement by saying "It's not one we use a great deal." This shows how Tony feels powerless and has given up as he accepts their d