The House of Defence v. 1

A circle of acquaintances wrestles with addiction, healing, and moral responsibility as debates arise over whether illness is cured by medical intervention or by the power of belief. Personal relationships and social pressures provide the framework for psychological and ethical inquiry, culminating in a dramatic demonstration in which a friend deliberately ingests laudanum to shock an addict into renunciation. Throughout, episodes mix domestic detail with reflections on willpower, faith-based cures, and the tension between nervous and organic illness, asking how far compassion, example, and conviction can alter bodily habit and prompt true recovery.