If you watch this film and focus on the point of view of the female characters you will see suffering. Jeez, Scottie Ferguson was plagued with vertigo but look what he did to the women in his life. He idolized the wife of his client so much that he made her unreal, he manipulated and played on the emotions of the poor girl he found to take her place including coaxing her to mimic the physical image of his lost idol, not to mention his poor assistant who clings to his every word while helping him through his trauma knowing that she can never hope to turn his head. This is an exercise in misogyny, an intense film, beautifully directed by Alfred Hitchcock.