I found a metaphor in these chapters of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton that showed how Lily felt when it came to dealing with Mr. Trenor.
"It was Trenor himself who frightened her. Their walk in the Park had not been a success. Trenor had married young, and since his marriage his intercourse with women had not taken the form of the sentimental small-talk which doubles upon itself like the paths in a maze. He was first puzzled and then irritated to find himself always led back to the same starting-point, and Lily felt that she was gradually losing control of the situation" (Wharton, pg104).
I believe that Trenor has some other expectations of Lily than just having her as a friend. "...his intercourse with women..." tells me that this has happened before with other women not just with Lily Bart. I can also draw from this that these other relations with women have never fully satisfied him. He loves his wife but since he "married young," he was beginning to look around at all the other women. I feel that the "paths in a maze" mostly symbolizes his unfaithful actions with other women that he can never seem to get himself out of. These "small-talk (actions) which doubles" have probably started out friendly and harmless but have led to unfaithfulness and deceit. Consequently, Trenor is then always left by these women who realize they are being used. This seems to irritate him and make him more eager for more. Lastly, I have drawn from this passage that Lily has followed Trenor down this path. She has been led by this man into a maze that she cannot find her way out of, and she has to give in to Trenor if she has any hope of finding a loop hole.
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