Nora returns home after a Christmas shopping spree, attempting to coax more money from her husband Torvald by playing into his pet names and patronizing view of her. The scene establishes their unequal power dynamic and Nora's secretive behavior regarding money and small indulgences like macaroons. Torvald lectures her on the dangers of debt while reinforcing her role as a frivolous, dependent 'skylark.'
HELMER: Is that my little lark twittering out there?
NORA: Yes, it is!
HELMER: Is it my little squirrel bustling about?
NORA: Yes!
HELMER: When did my squirrel come home?
NORA: Just now.
HELMER: Bought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?
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Act III — Nora's Departure
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Nora explains to her husband Torvald why she must leave him and her children to discover her own identity. She confronts the reality that she has been treated like a doll her entire life, first by her father and then by her husband.
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Nora explains to Torvald that for their marriage to continue, a 'miracle of miracles' would have to occur. She ultimately rejects his pleas for reconciliation and leaves him, famously slamming the door behind her.
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