Ep 3. Hearts of Darkness

Arthur is in a foul mood when he shows up with his friends at Margaret and Victor's house. The group is headed out on a trip, but Margaret is unsure whether she should go, given her supposed heart problem. Victor is fed up with Arthur's negativity and tells him to go home. Margaret tells Victor that she has had enough of his lack of romance and says she wants to go on the trip by herself. Victor is not happy, but he agrees to let her go.

Meanwhile, a man named Mr. Swain is prowling the neighborhood, looking for valuables to steal. He breaks into Victor's shed and takes a valuable antique. Victor is furious when he discovers the theft and sets out to find the culprit.

At the same time, Victor is trying to fix a leaky pipe in the basement. The job turns out to be more complicated than he thought, and he has to call in a plumber. The plumber, Mr. Casey, seems competent enough, but he has an alarming habit of losing his temper. Victor is uneasy around him, but he decides to let him finish the job.

As the day wears on, Victor grows increasingly paranoid and anxious. He is convinced that Mr. Swain is watching his every move, and he is sure that he is going to be targeted next. He begins to see shadowy figures lurking behind every corner, and he imagines that he is being followed everywhere he goes.

Things come to a head when Margaret comes back from her trip. Victor is shocked to see that she has brought a man named Cyril home with her. Margaret says that Cyril is a nice man who helped her out when she got into trouble on the trip. Victor is immediately suspicious of the man and accuses him of being a thief. Cyril protests his innocence, but Victor doesn't believe him.

As the night wears on, things get more and more tense. Victor is convinced that Mr. Swain is going to break into the house, and he is determined to catch him in the act. He sets up a clever trap, but things don't go as planned. Victor ends up getting into a violent altercation with Mr. Swain, and things escalate from there.

With tensions running high, Victor is forced to confront his own paranoia and distrust. He realizes that he has been too quick to accuse people of wrongdoing and that his own anxieties have driven him to madness. In the end, he resolves to put his fears to rest and to live a more peaceful, trusting life.