Vanessa Richardson

When they met, Dorothea instantly agreed to take Bert in.

She told Judy that he reminded her of herself when she was young, struggling to learn English and integrate.

This, of course, was a complete fabrication.

But like everyone else in Sacramento at the time, Judy was familiar with Dorothea's story and believed it.

Dorothea took Bert to get a haircut, bought him new clothes, and cooked up warm, nutritious meals for him.

She also helped him develop a sense of routine by giving him some simple household chores.

He even dug a hole in the backyard for a peach tree Dorothea was going to plant there.

Slowly, Bert started speaking to other people more, both in Spanish and English.

When Judy came to check on him and saw the progress he was making, she was overjoyed.

Judy had no idea that Dorothea had also taken Bert to the Social Security office and listed herself as his cousin in order to receive his government checks.

And after Judy left, Dorothea thought she was gone for good.

So she started dosing Bert's food with sleeping pills.

Unlike the tenants before him, Bert quickly realized that something was wrong, and he tried to tell someone.

One day, Bert visited another care facility where he used to live.

Dorothea accompanied him.

When Bert got a moment alone with one of the nurses, he told her that Dorothea had been giving him medicine that was making him feel sick.

Dorothea overheard what he was saying and immediately interjected.

She told Bert that if he wasn't happy, he could stay at that facility and sleep among rows of people on cots.

Bert apologized profusely, and Dorothea let him go back to the boarding house with her.

So thinking back to Betty, how would someone like Dorothea feel after they realize that someone they have power over is trying to undermine them?