The answer is:
to develop a contrast between the two sons of Madame Lebrun.
In the excerpts from "The Awakening," the author Kate Chopin makes reference to Madame Lebrun's two sons, Robert and Victor. She describes a scene in which Robert offers his mother some soup, goes into the kitchen and brings it to her with a few crackers. On the other hand, Chopin provides an account of Robert's brother, Victor, whose bad temper and stubbornness makes his mother furious.
The type of sentence given is a compound sentence. It is a compound sentence because it consists of two independent sentences: "I already said yes to someone else" and "I can't go to the dance with you". In order to link the two sentences, the conjunction "because" is used.
Acobs creates suspense through the use of setting, foreshadowing, and purposeful omission. The story takes place at the White residence, which is relatively isolated and located away from the nearest road. This isolated location adds to the haunting atmosphere of the story and is significant to the plot. Jacobs also foreshadows the ramifications of wishing upon the magic monkey's paw through Sergeant-Major Moris's enigmatic story.