It seems to me quite clear that the young man’s shyness of his parents-in-law is psychologically connected with his shyness of his own parents with reference to his marriage. This shyness shows itself from the moment when the marriage is first thought of till the wedding has passed and even longer. We have seen that there is no conversation on the subject between the young man and his parents, or at least his father, and that he sometimes avoids entirely the latter from the day when the arrangements for his marriage commence.²

²Westermarck, E.n/an/an/an/an/a, , 313 (The Macmillan Company. By permission).