And I was wrong. Of course.
It appears I underestimated Johannes' interest in his brother's activities.
And with one sentence Mr. Cantor transforms into either a complete dupe or a truly nefarious presence. Also, we're left with plentiful opportunities for Pearl to have been hypnotized before. Should we be amazed that her technical virginity is still intact? Of course, that could be the result of a posthypnotic suggestion. Daddy Dearest could have made it a condition of his daughter setting foot anywhere near Jakob or his friends (though I think if it was, he was rather shortsighted in his bargaining for a named partner in a big New York firm).