In "Lamb to the Slaughter," Dahl does not reveal to the reader Patrick's reason for wanting to divorce his wife, Mary. Instead, the reader experiences this moment from Mary's perspective. As we might expect, such a shocking announcement happens in a blur for Mary: she is unable to grasp the details because his announcement is so unexpected. This is shown through Dahl's description of Mary's reaction:
She sat still through it all, watching him with puzzled horror.
In contrast, Patrick is relatively calm and collected: he responds to her in a very matter-of-fact way by emphasising the practical matters of the divorce, like the financial settlement. Ironically, he thinks that the worst is over because he has broken the news to Mary, not realising that his murder, the worst possible outcome, is about to take place.
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