Piping the 'rat-children' home

In the beginning, life together for Allmers and Rita was beautiful and almost heroic with their 'gold, and the green forests', but change and decay set in early with the crippling of Eyolf, or perhaps much earlier when the first Eyolf failed to eventuate with the birth of Asta, a female.

Allmers' 'life work', writing 'the great thick book on "Human Responsibility"', proved impossible in such an environment. Out of the ruins, Rita finds a compassionate way ahead: in providing a home for all the poor neglected children, rescuing both Allmers and herself. Indeed, Allmers can finally say, 'But I will act out my "human responsibility" - in my own life'.

The play ends with our vision of Rita, the new 'rat-wife', Pan-piping all the precious 'rat-children', 'all the [sweet] blessed little creatures', to where 'it is all as still, and soft, and dark as their hearts can desire...with no one to hate them or persecute them any more'.