Vladimir
Quote 22
VLADIMIR
And why doesn't he beat you?
BOY
I don't know, Sir.
VLADIMIR
He must be fond of you.
BOY
I don't know, Sir.
Silence.
[…]
VLADIMIR
You're not unhappy?
[…]
BOY
I don't know, Sir.
VLADIMIR
You don't know if you're unhappy or not?
BOY
No Sir. (1.797-808)
The repetition of "I don’t know" is an appropriate ending to Act 1.
Vladimir
Quote 23
VLADIMIR
Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?
BOY
Yes Sir. (1.817-8)
Vladimir’s uncertainty seems to have worsened throughout the course of the play. Whereas earlier he doubted memory and knowledge, he now can’t even accept that actions are true in the moment they occur.