5. Einstein’s Demands, Part 2
Einstein’s list of demands for Marić was written in German but is translated below.
Conditions.
A. You will make sure
1. that my clothes and laundry are kept in good order;
2. that I will receive my three meals regularly in my room;
3. that my bedroom and study are kept neat, and especially that my desk is left for my use only.
B. You will renounce all personal relations with me insofar as they are not completely necessary for social reasons. Specifically, you will forgo
1. my sitting at home with you;
2. my going out or travelling with you.
C. You will obey the following points in your relations with me:
1. you will not expect any intimacy from me, nor will you reproach me in any way;
2. you will stop talking to me if I request it;
3. you will leave my bedroom or study immediately without protest if I request it.
D. You will undertake not to belittle me in front of our children, either through words or behaviour.
One can quickly see that Einstein viewed Marić as a servant, not a spouse. She was to clean his room, do his laundry, and provide his meals without asking anything of him, criticizing him or even speaking to him if he said not to. Small wonder that she divorced him soon after and took their children with her. Einstein may have been a phenomenal genius, but he was a pretty poor husband.