The title derives from an expression used by one of the characters, Peter Templer, to describe Widmerpool's new job in the City, where he has joined a financial house that 'accepts' debts This technical use of the term also covers the fact that the main characters, now in their middle or late twenties, find themselves 'accepting' what life offers people of their particular character and circumstances It is against this background that Nicholas Jenkins, the narrator, conducts his love affair with Templer's sister Jean