The woman is the daughter of a General (does she have violent proclivities?). In an early A wants B, but C. formula, the reader can extrapolate that George wants honor and recognition (prestige), but something is in his way. What is that something? Is it Hedda? Or is it something/someone else? Like lady Macbeth, is Hedda a destructive force (of course, in this particular play, Hedda takes a more prominent role than Lady Macbeth does in Macbeth)? As the reader reads on, "Cs" begin to emerge within the first act. Money is a big "C." It's apparent that Hedda has expensive tastes, the marriage/honeymoon. Also the dialogue over living arrangements, "But expensive my dear George, It will be expensive...

is introduced: Ejlert Lovborg and the equation starts to make more sense. There are several ways to formulate it. For example, George wants the professor job and fame as an author but Lovborg stands in his way. Hedda wants opulence and luxury but George's ability to obtain those things is in jeopardy. George wants Hedda to respect his family, but Hedda only respects money.
There are more combinations (obviously Hedda's appearance suggests she's pregnant) but in Act 1 the play does a swell job of setting the table for some major drama to unfold in later acts.