Marge scrunched up her face and in her little voice said, “Ew, that’s disgusting! How could anyone let that happen?” What she was referring to, of course, were the images on the TV screen that showed a house littered with old junk and trash, mold growing on the walls, fungus devouring the refrigerator from the inside out, hundreds of roaches beneath every object, and rodent droppings that had collected in a corner of the house, so numerous that it looked like the dog had just tracked in a shower of dirt. The family that lived in this house were hoarders; they could not throw anything away, and therefore, they could not clean their house. After some professional house inspectors came in to assess the various problems, a therapist would visit the family to discuss with the homeowner, a 49-year-old divorced woman named Jeanette, how she was to overcome her acute anxiety about getting rid of old things she no longer needs.
James sat close to Marge on the couch, his heart and mind only half-way invested in this family’s hoarding struggles. Such gross hygienic neglect was undoubtedly interesting from a psychological viewpoint, and even sad, but certainly not something he wanted his mind to dwell on as he prepared for a comfortable, clean night of sleep and a productive day of work the next day.
James agreed with his wife: how could anyone let that happen? Years of breathing mold, piles of junk that made navigation through rooms a circus feat, floors and countertops so nasty, even a homeless man would shudder to touch anything with his bare skin. What could have happened in Jeanette’s life that made her so anxious that she was afraid to throw out anything or clean anything?
Marge couldn’t imagine how that kind of existence could be real. Yet it was a non-fiction, reality television show, based on the true lives of somebody, somewhere out there. Incredulous though it appeared, these kinds of things really do happen. They could even happen to her—Marge—if something traumatic enough were to set into motion that kind of behavior.
Maybe these things happen, James thought, but maybe TLC makes a lot more money if their “reality” television shows are highly dramaticized. It’s all about numbers—how many viewers can they get? We can’t know if the situation on this TV show is as bad as it looks, James thought, at least not in Jeanette’s situation.
“It is truly horrendous,” James replied to Marge. He could feel the warmth of her body just inches from his left arm, and his eyes grew heavy with sleep.
I think you're getting at the difference between these two characters--one truly cares about this show and is shocked by it and the other doesn't care or views it more as an intellectual curiosity. Consider making the 1st paragraph more concise -- but def. keep the well-done description of the house on Hoarders.
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