The first half of the nineteenth century saw the rise of a number of prominent Southern families such as the Compsons. These aristocratic families lived by very traditional Southern values. Men were expected to act like gentlemen, displaying courage, moral strength, perseverance, and chivalry in defense of the honor of their family name. Women, on the other hand, were expected to be models of feminine purity, grace, and virginity until it came time for them to provide children to inherit the family legacy. A deep faith in God and profound concern for preserving the family reputation provided the grounding for these beliefs.

The Civil War devastated many of these once-great Southern families economically, socially, and psychologically. Faulkner contends that in the process, the Compsons, and other Southern families like them, lost touch with the reality of the world around them and became lost in a haze of self-absorption...