On the day of this lecture, a longtime friend of Neville's telephoned his home and spoke with his wife, asking for news of their daughter Vicki. When she said they were very pleased with Vicki's report, the friend replied that he wished he could say the same about his own affairs. Neville uses the exchange to illustrate his continuing patience with this particular friend, who after years of attending his lectures still repeatedly falls into self-pity, and whom Neville says he must go on forgiving without limit.