While the husband is catching squirrels, the wife is forced to work. In Vanya’s family this is easier; there are many spouses, which means the specific burden on each is much less than in a traditional marriage. And all the hard workers don’t sit idle, everyone found something to do. Some reap with braids, some sew in bursts, and some cook porridge and spoon-feed their unlucky spouse while he is in the narcology department taking a drip.