How we cite our quotes: (Act)
Quote #4
LARRY: “Lo, sleep is good; better is death; in sooth,/The best of all were never to be born.” (1)
Why would Larry choose this extremely uplifting poem to quote? Leave it to Larry to come up with something even more depressing than death...
Quote #5
PARRITT: But what the hell does it matter to you? You’re in the grandstand. You’re through with life. (1)
Larry tells the others a lot that he’s through with life, but Parritt doesn’t really buy it. If Parritt thought this was true about Larry, he would stop trying to get Larry to help him. That might make the play a little shorter, but the payoff just wouldn’t be the same.
Quote #6
HICKEY: He’s lost all his guts. He can’t manage it alone, and you’re the only one he can turn to. (2)
Hickey knows that it’s a sense of defeat that connects Larry and Parritt, whether Larry wants to help the kid out or not. In the end, this faint connection between the two leads Larry to finally tell Parritt what he’s been wanting to hear. Of course, things don’t go real well after that.