Helen Alving is a widow whos committed to protecting her son from his fathers unsavory past which was marked by a string of extramarital affairs. She doesnt want her son to be affected by his scandalous choices. After her husbands death Helen Alving decides to dedicate an orphanage in his memory. She uses the project to drain his estate so their son Oswald wont retain any of his fortune. Instead she plans to bequeath only her money free from her husbands influence. Yet Oswalds health is failing having inherited a disease from his father. As the pain progresses Oswald decides to take matters into his own hands. He asks his mother to inject him with a fatal dose of medication to end his suffering once and for all. In Ghosts Ibsen covers multiple controversial topics. At the time of its production in 1882 it was immediately criticized for its subject matter. The play destroys the faade of the traditional family speaking freely about infidelity incest and venereal disease. With an eyecatching new cover and professionally typeset manuscript this edition of Ghosts is both modern and readable.