There is, of course, fallout from Valancy's frank comments at the family dinner. Uncle Wellington, the de facto head of the Stirling family, fails in his attempt to get Valancy to see Dr. Marsh, so goes himself and describes her scandalous conduct to the physician. His hope is that Marsh will declare her mentally ill and recommend that she be be placed in an institution, preferably before anyone else in town witnesses her odd behaviour. To his disgust, Dr. Marsh seems to find Valancy's dinner comments amusing rather than shocking, and says that there is no evidence that Valancy is mentally unbalanced. Of course, Dr. Marsh doesn't know Valancy personally and doesn't know how repressed, meek, and fearful that she has been her entire life. To people- like her family members- who have known her since she was born, this complete turnabout in her character would make them think that she's lost her mind.
Having failed in their bid to have Doss committed, the Stirlings decide to keep a watchful eye on her lest she engage in further eccentric behaviour, disgracing the family. It is obvious that this is their true concern: the family's respected name in the community, not Valancy's mental health.
This does not, however, let Roaring Abel off the hook. It's always easier to complain about the speck in someone else's eye than deal with the plank in your own. Abel condemns the townspeople for turning their backs on Cissy, yet what has he done her entire life but neglect her? If the town has a responsibility to her, how much more so does he, as her father, have? He's led a life of complete self-indulgence full of wine, women, and song; after his marriage, he continued his wild lifestyle which eventually wore down his quiet wife and hastened her premature death, leaving Cecily a young motherless child with an uncontrolled drunk for a father. Instead of settling down and accepting his responsibilities, Abel put her in school and church, kept food on the table, and seemed to think that this was all he needed to do. But it was also his duty as a father to love, protect, and provide guidance to his child, as well as be an example of what a good man is supposed to be. Abel did none of these things and it's not surprising that Cissy is eventually taken in by some jerk who is also less than a man.
If this seems harsh, well, I feel rather harsh about this sort of thing. Too often society at large gets blamed for things which are the within the purview of familial responsibility. Contrary to Hillary Clinton's assertion, it does not take a village to raise a child. It takes parents, and no amount of social programs or community involvement will make up for people flouting their responsibilities to their children. Roaring Abel points a condemning finger at the people of Deerwood- and they are not without blame- but he should take a long look in the mirror because he is much more at fault than any of them.
These chapters of The Blue Castle have a more sombre tone than the humorous dinner party which occurred just before. There are still flashes of humour: pompous Uncle Wellington being stymied by Valancy's recalcitrance, and Dr. Marsh's amused reaction, as well as Valancy's mother's horror at her hobnobbing with Roaring Abel. But overall, there is a feeling of melancholy and loneliness. Valancy, alone in her pain, wishes desperately for someone who would care about and comfort her. She also feels the need for purpose in her life, however short-lived it may be. It is not enough to simply drift towards the end, feeling nothing but cynical amusement at the foibles and hypocracies of her relations. This is why Valancy offers to go care for Cissy: no doubt she feels a kinship for the other girl, also alone- physically as well as emotionally- and facing death, but she also needs to do something to make her last year of life meaningful. We also see in these chapters the wreckage and ruin which can result from selfishness and dysfunction- and alcoholism- within the family unit, and the bitter reality that those who preach love and forgiveness frequently fail when called upon to put these things into practice.