Romantic relationships have the ability to bring out the best and worst in people. In a healthy relationship, partners complement each other. The love and support they offer not only strengthens their bond; it can make them stronger as individuals too. An unhealthy relationship can have the opposite effect. The wrong partner can influence a person to become someone they don't want to be. In his play A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen demonstrates the impact that equality and honesty can have on relationships. A Doll's House is set in a time when neither men nor society treated women as equals. Women were expected to settle for dutiful housewives. The relationship between Nora and Torvald reflects the unbalanced society. In Torvald's eyes, men are superior to women. Concerned about how society perceives him, he is appalled at the thought that others believe his wife would have any input into his decisions; “Do you think I will make a fool of myself in front of all my staff, to let people think that I am a man who allows himself to be influenced by all sorts of outside influences?” (Ibsen 35). Torvald controls pretty much everything; he finds strength in her weakness and declares to her, “I would not be a man if this female helplessness did not only give you a double attraction in my eyes” (Ibsen 64). Nora has a say only in insignificant aspects of daily life, such as shopping or decorating for Christmas. At first she is not bothered by Torvald treating her as if she were his own. Her father also treated her like an object, so she believes this is how they express their love for her. At the end of the play Nora comes to the heartbreaking realization that Torvald and her father have held her back by using her for…half of paper…because her love is through her actions. He could blackmail Nora, but he believes it is a necessary task to keep his job and provide for his children. To prove his love to Kristine, he puts an end to the extortion by placing the bail in the Helmers' safe, thus freeing them from any illegal crime. Kristine and Krogstad were fortunate to have achieved self-awareness. They know they need each other to succeed in this society. Nora never had the chance to find herself before she married Torvald. In order to grow as individuals they need to separate. The dissolution of their marriage is necessary; being together would only continue to repeat the same habits. Partners can help us become the person we need to be, or they can hinder that growth. Having the right person by our side has the potential to determine who we become.