Problem: If "Papa looked down at the children's faces, so puzzled and sad now. It was bad enough that they had to be denied so many things because he couldn't afford them.", is "He couldn't afford the faces." correct?

Answer: no


Problem: If "The woman held the girl against her chest.", is "The woman held the girl against the woman's chest." correct?

Answer: yes


Problem: If "John couldn't see the stage with Billy in front of him because he is so tall.", is "Billy is so tall." correct?

Answer:
yes