(At the risk of ruining the analogy ... I couldn't resist extending the analogy a bit further)
there are rumours that a women's lib movement in a neighbouring house has urged the wife to stand up to the husband. The women in that house have decided not to put up with oppression from their husbands.
Some think that the husband's reaction is being tolerated to send a message to any would-be women lib sympathisers.
Oh - one other thing - the house the wife lives in belonged to her family and was part of her inheritance. Her husband is now trying to get her to leave and accept that he owns the house and land (he pushed out her cousins who lived in the guest house and who are now camped in the neighbour's garden. The neighbour isn't too happy, and doesn't allow them to put up permanent shelters... but only to live in tents and to help with the gardening. The cousins occasionally look over the fence and shout insults to the husband and sometimes throw rocks at him... the husband is considering jumping the fence and setting fire to the tent...no oops, he has just done that)
Ok, I'll stop my literary flights of fancy now...