Jack was extremely proud of his son and taught him everything he needed to know about life from a very early age. Jack came from the traditional school of thought with regard to women and family logistics. In the Stoltz family, he was unquestionably the man in charge. He ran the house finances and paid all the bills - providing a steady aura of stability to both his son and especially his wife. Meredith had no education beyond high school and was only modestly intelligent. She was very weak minded and extremely terrified of the real world. The concept of paying bills and managing on her own was unthinkable to her and so she did what most women in her era did - major in home economics and fix her pretty face up at school in order to attract a handsome and successful man who was smart enough for the both of them. Meredith was not very good with numbers and at times became frustrated when she had to focus on too many things at once. Meeting Jack was the best thing that ever happened to her and she loved him dearly. He thought for her, paid her bills, picked her clothes, and made the rules of the house so that she wouldn't have to concentrate that much on anything important accept cooking and changing dirty diapers.

Meredith was content with her role as Jack's wife. Everything was made easy for her provided she follow a few simple rules that Jack had established very early on in their marriage. First, she obey his word without question or thought. Very early on in their relationship, Jack had instilled the impression that he was extremely superior to her both physically and intellectually. After a few arguments that he invariably won due to his dominant presence, she quickly fell in line. It was very easy for Jack to iron out any rebellious wrinkles in his relationship to Meredith. He smacked her hard when she needed it and withdrew his affection from her when she disobeyed or disappointed him in any way. Over time, Meredith grew to dislike being emotionally isolated and sought to please Jack as often as she could. She readied his favorite lazy chair for him before he got home from a long day of work. She always had his favorite beer cold and ready for him when he arrived along with his favorite girlie magazine. A freshly cooked meal was a given and his favorite channel on TV was set before she even turned it on for him.

Pleasing Jack gave Meredith a sense of pride and pleasure. In fact, her entire sense of self worth was based on his happiness and his alone. If Jack was unhappy or disappointed, she always found a way to blame herself - a habit that Jack had instilled in her early on. Every time this happened, Meredith (like the good wife she was) made it her business to do all the little "extras" to make it up to him - especially in the bedroom. That extra dash of red lipstick, silky pantyhose with garter, and eight inch high heal platform shoes which hinted heavily at her submissive nature, were definitely the remedy that worked every time. Indeed Meredith put her husband first in every category - including her son.....(cont)