Thelma is obsessive about cleanliness, spurning visitors to her immaculate flat in case they bring dirt and germs, particularly when it is her chaotic sister and mucky young niece. Intolerable. Thelma imagines the child spinning round in a washing machine and cannot wait until they have gone so she can restore perfection. When a scruffy social worker comes round with another benefits form for Thelma to sign, he wonders how she manages financially, but she is not about to let on, more interested in bleaching away any evidence of his presence. When he is gone, the phone rings and Thelma takes on a different persona.