DeHavilland is a prisoner in her own house, akin to Nora in Ibsen's The Dollhouse. She both loves Cliff eagerly yet sees him as her rescuer from her father.
When he doesn't show up to elope, she is filled with fear, apprehension, and then growing anger. She has been rejected. First, by her father, then by Cliff. Now rage.
And in her confusion, she begins to accept her father's premise that this Cliff guy was an heiress hunter who will steal her (his) money and throw her into the street like rubbage. Nobody wants her.
And to defend Cliff, he could have been aware of her narcissistic father and stepped away until he died. And thereafter, no interference with the lovers' plans.
But Cliff was also naive to ignore that her father hated him as much as his daughter and would have said anything to keep her alone during his life and thereafter.
Why do I have these premises? Because my father was just as horrible as DeHavilland's father. He was despicable at both my siblings' weddings, particularly my brother/his son. He would have wanted all parties to break up and in despair. I, myself, stayed single because I had the number on our father for just about forever. And he hated me.
Watching The Heiress was a bit too close to home (literally and figuratively) for me.
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