Sethe comes to believe that Beloved is the daughter she had killed, as "BELOVED" was all she could afford to have engraved on her daughter's tombstone. Sethe begins to spend all of her time and money on Beloved, carelessly spoiling Beloved out of guilt, to the point that Sethe loses her job. Beloved becomes angry and more demanding, throwing tantrums when she does not get her way. Beloved's presence consumes Sethe's life to the point where she becomes depleted. She hardly eats, while Beloved grows bigger and bigger, eventually taking the form of a pregnant woman.