A gauge of the level of seriousness of a relationship. The concept is borrowed from that of home-buying: the more [money] you put into the house, the more equity you have, that is, you own a greater percentage of the property.

In the emotional sphere, the term gives substance to the concept of having invested heavily in a relationship; it gives coin to the idea of having put out (spent) in an emotional sense - that feelings, concern, tenderness and time are not free. In fact, they have a definite cost.

As in the world of mortgages, the more equity you have in a home the less willing you are to simply re-coup your expenditure and return to status quo. You would like to see some profit. In the world of relationships, a simple cancelling of accounts, a return to the way things were pre-relationship, is unsatisfying for the same reason: investment wants return.

Another homeless waif recovered by The Nodeshell Rescue Team