There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind, and as we drove away Tom was feeling the hot whips of panic. His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control.
– F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 7. Tom Buchanan feels that his life is spinning out of control. This is after he witnesses his wife Daisy’s display of love for Gatsby and learns that his mistress will be moving away soon.