Iris: Willing Martyr......

It looks, on the surface, that Jim's final days are accompanied by his family's indifference. They do act like they don't really care but, as howtheduck just reminded me, there's an actor in this appalling little melodrama that we haven't paid attention to: Iris. Everything we know about her indicates that she has a proprietary interest in Jim's care, that she won't let anyone else take care of him, not his daughter, not doctors and nurses, no one. The fact that she can't do it, that deep down she knows it, wants help is strictly irrelevant. She won't actively seek real assistance out of fear of looking weak and incompetent and, what's more, drops subtle hints about the evils of busybodies, their unsolicited advice and unwelcome presence. The Pattersons might well have started out hovering over him (more, of course, out of social pressure than actual concern) but soon realized that they did so without her blessing. Even with the best will in the world, they'd stop reaching out a hand to the woman if she kept slapping it away out of foolish pride. This explains their absence, if not really excusing it. After all, she might have denied them any visitation rights whatsoever if they really pressed the issue. It seems obvious to me that she loves Jim so much, so deeply, she'd rather see him die than be taken away from her or, for that matter, have to share him with someone else.