Relationships in many Pennsylvania Dutch families were very clearly delineated and were patriarchal in the extreme. The wife’s specific functions enabled the husband to concentrate on earning the primary income that supported the family. To accomplish this, women tended to all home chores, raised the children to the father’s specifications, and tried to make the father’s life as comfortable as possible. Mrs. Arnold never benefited from labor- or time-saving devices, because Herbert did not allow these items in his home. He set the example of behavior for his children by his own job performance of long, hard hours and a total dedication to his medical practice. Hard physical labor acted as a form of penance; in fact, the doctor never owned a car for that very reason.