How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used Donald M. Allen's translation.
Quote #1
Mrs. Smith: "we live in the suburbs of London and […] our name is Smith."
Stage Direction: Mr. Smith [continues to read, clicks his tongue] (2-3)
Though the Smiths are a married couple sitting in the same room together, they both seem really alone. Mrs. Smith goes on and on about unimportant things, while her husband basically ignores her. There's pretty much no communication going on here at all. Do you think that neither one really cares about their isolation from each other? Could it be that they choose to ignore it? Perhaps, they're not even aware they both are essentially alone.
Quote #2
Mr. Martin: "How bizarre, curious, strange! Then, madam, we live in the same room and we sleep in the same bed, dear lady. It is perhaps there that we have met!" (131)
Whoa, it looks like the Martins are even more isolated than the Smiths. They're so far removed from each other that they don't even remember who the other one is. The fact that they sleep in the same bed every night doesn't even help them remember each other. What could this absurd exaggeration be saying about the state of many married couples? Or people in general for that matter?
Quote #3
Mr. Martin: "Elizabeth, I have found you again!"
Mrs. Martin: "Donald, it's you darling!" (137-138)
In some ways, you could see this "reunion" as a happy moment. The forgetful Martins have managed to remember each other again. However, the fact that they forgot each other in the first place undercuts the happiness of this event. You could interpret this seemingly happy event as satirizing the whole idea union. It could be that though they seem happy now, the Martins are just as isolated from each other as they were before.