Following a fairly traditional structure, the first act serves as exposition, laying out the key elements that will drive the next drama. The reader soon learns that the main problems concern the female protagonist - Nora - and her relationship with her husband, Torvald, who always treats her in a decidedly condescending and childish manner: "Is my little squirrel on the move?" he questions her at the beginning of the conversation and then refers it to his “poor little girl”. Furthermore, the viewer is attracted by the elements of deception that essentially underlie both the relationship between the Helmers themselves and between them and the secondary characters: “Speak low,” urges Nora at a certain point, “Suppose Torvald felt”