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This chapter focuses on marriage in Deir al-Medina. It begins with an overview of the marriage procedure or ceremony in the village, and cites indications that a formal divorce (at least in some instances) required an official statement made in court to dissolve a marriage. It then considers several ostraca describing how the future son-in-law carries some gift to the house of his prospective father-in-law, hoping to marry the latter's daughter, including one that summarizes various marital property arrangements from the ninth century BCE. It also examines an undated text that may contain the remains of an oath on the occasion of a marriage (O. Varille 30) and concludes with a discussion of the marriage between Naunakhte (twelve or slightly older) and Qenhirkhopshef (fifty-something).

This chapter focuses on Naunakhte's first husband, Qenhirkhopshef, a prominent Deir al-Medina scribe who remained in office for approximately forty years (or more). Qenhirkhopshef became Naunakhte's (presumably) first husband when he was fifty-something years of age and she was twelve (or slightly older). Even after his death, Qenhirkhopshef would influence the lives of the sons and daughters of Naunakhte and her second husband Khaemnun. The chapter attempts to piece together parts of Qenhirkhopshef's life—most of which was spent before he married Naunakhte, from his adoption by the senior village scribe Ramose and his wife Mutemwia to his becoming an important man in the village. It asks a number of questions, for example, where Ramose's property went when he died; Qenhirkhopshef's biological parents; and Qenhirkhopshef's character.

This chapter examines the Will of Naunakhte from the perspective of one of Naunakhte's daughters, Menatnakhte. The Will of Naunakhte is the most famous case of a Deir al-Medina woman dividing her inheritance. It consists of four papyri, two of which were acquired by Alan Gardiner sometime after 1928 and are now kept at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The two other papyri were found in situ during the excavations in Deir al-Medina in 1928. In her last will, Naunakhte states that some of her children will not inherit from her, because they had not looked after her when she was old. The inheritance divided by Naunakhte included the property of her first husband, Qenhirkhopshef and the property acquired by her and her second husband, Khaemnun. This chapter considers the possibility that Naunakhte's will had created some dissent in the family.

This chapter focuses on Maaninakhtef, the son of Naunakhte and Khaemnun. It is not clear where Maaninakhtef came in the line of succession, although when Naunakhte's children went to clear out their mother's house and took turns picking the items of their choice, he was quite often last in line. On the other hand, these were only the household goods, not the most valuable items of the lot. Maaninakhtef was part of the regular workforce, and O. Berlin P 14262 connects him with carpentry. This chapter also considers the recent archaeological excavations in the workmen's settlement in the Valley of the Kings by the Swiss team led by Andreas Dorn; these excavations have yielded multiple new practice letters on ostraca that Maaninakhtef wrote to the vizier Neferrenpet but never actually sent. Finally, it discusses the question of why the library of the scribe Qenhirkhopshef was passed on to Maaninakhtef when the latter's brother Amunnakhte died.

This chapter focuses on Naunakhte's son, Qenhirkhopshef the Younger, who received a larger share of her mother's inheritance in the form of a copper vessel and ten additional sacks of grain. It begins with some facts about Qenhirkhopshef: he was a regular workman, but some of the correspondence with his brother Maaninakhtef suggests that he also worked as a carpenter, perhaps as part of a family business. It then considers one ostracon (O. BM EA 50737) from Dynasty 20, which mentions both Qenhirkhopshef and his sister Khatanub; Naunakhte's daughters sometimes appear in the records buying carpentry. It also describes Qenhirkhopshef the Younger as one who seems to have been more versatile than other workmen. Finally, it analyzes one of Qenhirkhopshef's stelae, found in a Theban tomb and then acquired by the Earl of Belmore. The tomb has come to be known as Lord Belmore's Tomb.