Hope Spot: At one point, Laura hides Jenny and baby Rose inside a cellar and convinces Stark to go with her to the barn, where she knocks him out with the bar used to lock the door, and at the same time, Hester Sue shows up at her house with Randall Page, but leaves before Laura can catch them, and Stark wakes up and drags Laura back in. To make things worse, he drops a lit lamp in the trapdoor to the cellar and Laura is forced to reveal that her daughter and niece were hidden there so they can put out the fire.
Near the end, Stark suddenly starts recognizing that Laura isn't his wife after she pleaded to him to realize the truth over and over, and seems to be recovering his sanity. But then he hears the search party call for him outside and goes back to thinking Laura is Constance, then leaves the house armed and shoots at the posse, being gunned down in response.
Hostage Situation: A drunken Stark takes Laura, Jenny and baby Rose hostage, believing them to be his wife, daughter and (nonexistent) granddaughter.
Love-Obstructing Parents: Thomas is very open about his disapproval of his daughter's relationship with Randall Page. Ironically, Randall is the one who hears the shots when Thomas tries to kill his family and warns people in time to save Elizabeth and her mother.
Multiple Gunshot Death: When Jenny tracks down the search party, they surround the Wilder house and order Stark to come out peacefully, but after he emerges armed and shoots at them, the group opens fire in return and puts the deranged man out of his misery.
Never My Fault: Thomas Stark keeps repeating to himself that none of the problems caused by his ill-thought schemes are his faults, but on account of unscrupulous creditors, even though he had made loans with different banks, all of which spread what an unreliable debtor he was. It gets worse when he suffers a Sanity Slippage.
Sanity Slippage: Thomas Stark goes off the deep end and shoots his wife and daughter (fortunately, both survive) after suffering an unexpected turn of events, then gets drunk and terrorizes the Wilders.
