The complacent husband who had been blind to his own situation laughed heartily at Poisson's predicament.
Then Coupeau even teased Gervaise.

Her lovers always dropped her.
First the blacksmith and now the hatmaker.

The trouble was that she got involved with undependable trades.

She should take up with a mason, a good solid man.

He said such things as if he were joking, but they upset Gervaise because his small grey eyes seemed to be boring right into her.
On evenings when Coupeau became bored being alone with his wife up in their tiny hole under the roof, he would go down for Lantier and invite him up.