After their initial greetings, the three sit down on the sofa. "My wife took her eyes off the blind man and looked at me. I had a feeling she didn't like what she saw. I shrugged." (78). Obviously, the husband is completely indifferent to what others think of him. He is also someone that lacks meaning in his life and is incapable of seeing beyond himself has evidenced by his reference to praying (79) and his non-belief in religion (84).
The husband's behavior throughout the story is based on a number of factors. He is not very accepting of Robert's visit, but for the sake of his wife he is hospitable. The husband takes to dehumanizing Robert by his reference to him as "this blind man" so that he would feel superior and surer of himself. He is initially non-accepting of Robert and is quick to judge him so that Robert will fit into the husband's preconceptions to make the husband more at ease. The husband had seen blind men on television (75) which contributed in forming what blind should look like and how they should behave. The husband told his wife earlier that he had heard enough when listening to a taped message that Robert sent to his wife (76) which demonstrated his unwillingness to get to know Robert as a person. These two examples would support the motive that the husband uses various methods to suppress the underlying fears he feels: fear of the unknown, fear of Robert's relationship with his wife, and fear of looking at his own beliefs.
As the story progresses, we begin to see several changes in the husband. When Robert first arrives, he notices that Robert does not fit the preconceived notions that he had about blind people. He sees that Robert smokes, has a beard, does not wear dark glasses, and has no cane, going against the image he had created in his own mind for a blind man. Later as they are eating dinner, the husband "watched with admiration as he used his knife and fork on the meat" (79) further showing that the husband is beginning to change his view of Robert.
