Marie's father is a loving man and tries to do the right thing with his daughter. At first, he is upset that she has befriended a white girl. He believes that it will lead to nothing good for Marie. However, later on, as he gets to know Lena and to see how happy she and Marie are together, he relents. He offers Lena an alternative idea for how a father should be with a daughter and additionally, in this respect, leads Lena to make the choice to leave.