In P. G. Wodehouse’s stories, friction between the valet Jeeves and his employer, Bertie Wooster, usually begins with a new item Bertie is excited about, such as bright purple socks, a white mess jacket or a garish vase. Jeeves’s disapproval shows as a period of coolness between them.
Bertie calls Jeeves’s opposition “hidebound and reactionary.” Usually Jeeves finds a way to help Bertie with a problem, and Bertie agrees to give away the item Jeeves disapproves of.