Margaret believes that anything or everything can be a sin and harbors extremely restrictive views on sexuality. She feels that only "loose women" develop breasts, or "dirty pillows" as she calls them; she feels that she herself developed breasts due to the way Carrie was conceived. When Carrie has her first menstrual cycle at the age of 16, Margaret refers to it as the 'Curse of Blood' and claims that it was brought on by some sort of sexual sin on Carrie's part. After berating Carrie, Margaret locks her in the "prayer closet" until it is time for bed.