The first chapter starts with a flashback in which Anna’s character discusses the themes of marriage and loyalty. From her window, Anna highlights how the wife of Dr. John Miller cheated on him occasionally. She states that it is quite ironic that despite the doctor being a couple therapist, his own marriage appears to be in shambles. Anna vividly narrates an incident in which Dr. Miller’s wife, Rita, was nearly caught on a Sunday afternoon while having a fling with a contractor. She attributes this disloyalty to the doctor’s busy routine and the fact that Dr. Miller’s wife was too beautiful for the doctor. She describes that on Sundays the doctor would always be home by about 4:00 pm, a routine that changed on the day he nearly caught his wife. The author creates suspense by counting down the seconds as Dr. Miller gets closer and closer to finding the contractor and his wife in his matrimonial bed. Anna states that she is disappointed that Rita is, however, not caught. She looks forward to having the marriages of her neighbors come to an end. This shows that the woman in the window was a sadistic person. In fact, as she pries on her neighbors, her tone is that of despair. She is unhappy that her neighbors still have their families around them, an indulgence she can no longer enjoy. Her prying behavior could be considered as unethical. Not only does she watch her neighbors’ houses using a camera, but also looks up the online profiles of the families that she snoops on.