I think that Kumalo has a lot of regret. The once proud man returns to his native village with a sense of humility that often reverts into deep shame. This is most evident in Kumalo's questions concerning his position as pastor. For the first time, Kumalo questions his role in the fate of his son and his sister, wondering whether he can be an honorable man with a dishonorable family. This causes Kumalo to begin to deny that he is a proper pastor, but this is merely a stage in the character's development, as he moves from denial into acceptance and then action. Although the respective stories of Absalom and Gertrude Kumalo are essentially concluded, their effects on Stephen still reverberate.