Briefly provide the context of the quote (what is happening at the time these words appear and who is speaking these words) and explore the significance of the quote in terms of the story as a whole—in relation to its theme, plot and major characters/relationships. The quote is: “As Martin watched the tranquil slumber of his wife the ghost of the old anger vanished. All thoughts of blame or blemish were distant from him now. Martin put out the bathroom light and raised the window. Careful not to awaken Emily he slid in to the bed. By moonlight he watched his wife for the last time. His hand sought the adjacent flesh and sorrow paralleled desire in the immense complexity of love.” (From Carson McCullers’s “A Domestic Dilemma.”)

Carson McCullers's "A Domestic Dilemma" was first published in Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories. This short story introduces the reader to Martin Meadows, his wife Emily, and their children, baby Marianne and six-year-old Andy. It is revealed that Emily is "sick;" in fact, she appears to be an alcoholic. Emily lies to Martin about her drinking, but by the time he comes home from work each day she is already tipsy enough for the problem to be evident. At one point Emily drops Marianne, drawing blood, and vows never to drink again. In fact, she doesn't stop, but Martin hires a housekeeper to keep an eye on the children, and Emily cuts back enough on her drinking that incidents are rare.
When Martin arrives home on this Thursday, he finds Emily inebriated, having served the children toast with cayenne pepper (she mistook it for cinnamon) for dinner. Martin argues with his wife, who is attempting to hide the sherry from him, and leaves her in their room while he makes the children a proper dinner. Emily wanders downstairs while the children are eating and causes a scene. She is afraid Martin is speaking ill of her and defends herself against him. Andy is upset by the interaction, and Martin sends him and Marianne to bed.
Emily comes to her senses and realizes she's scared her child. Martin brings her to their room and gets her into bed. He gives the children their baths and puts them to sleep. He reflects on how much he loves his children and resents Emily's implication that he prefers his daughter to his son. Martin makes himself dinner and reads a book but has a hard time concentrating. He obsessively worries that his children might be hurt by their mother. His anger grows, and he describes the feelings as hate for his wife.
Martin heads to bed and finds his wife asleep. Noticing her peaceful countenance, the narrator describes the scene:

As Martin watched the tranquil slumber of his wife the ghost of the old anger vanished. All thoughts of blame or blemish were distant from him now. Martin put out the bathroom light and raised the window. Careful not to awaken Emily he slid into the bed. By moonlight he watched his wife for the last time. His hand sought the adjacent flesh and sorrow paralleled desire in the immense complexity of love.

While Martin spent the majority of the story resenting his wife and loving his children, when she is asleep, he can relax and remind himself of the woman he fell in love with. Throughout the story, the reader gets the sense that Martin might leave his wife or have her committed. The story highlights the very fine line that can exist between love and hate.