She had never dreamed it could be like this.

Ever her gaze shifted from the room to him and back again.

The steamy smell of dirty clothes, which had entered with her from the kitchen, was sickening.

Martin must be soaked with it, Ruth concluded, if that awful woman washed frequently.

Such was the contagiousness of degradation.
When she looked at Martin, she seemed to see the smirch left upon him by his surroundings.