How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
My heart begins to suffocate me. It keeps rising until I can taste it. I can almost feel it beating on my tongue. I tremble, pull myself together, then tremble again. (1.5.24)
It's easy to judge Ed for not doing anything when he sees the woman being raped, but the truth is, we understand that he's scared when he sees the violence on Edgar Street. Yet Ed doesn't do anything to help the poor woman once he leaves the scene either. He's just too scared.
Quote #2
At this point, you can probably tell what I've decided to do about the whole Edgar Street situation. Or at least you'll know if you're anything like me. Cowardly. Meek. Positively weak. Of course, in my infinite wisdom, I'm choosing to leave it for a while. You never know, Ed. It might just work itself out. (1.7.1)
Trying to convince himself to make it better, Ed tells himself that the situation will just work itself out, though in reality he knows he's just afraid to do anything. Why does he beat himself up so much about it if he won't do anything? At what point does he decide to act instead of be afraid?
Quote #3
In the first hour of play, I look at Audrey and know that I'm in nervous love with her. Nervous because I don't know what to do sometimes. I don't know what to say. What can I tell her when I feel the hunger rise in me? How would she react? (1.7.20)
So there's the type of fear that Ed feels at Edgar Street, and then there's the type he gets when he tries to confront his feelings about Audrey. In the first type, he knows what is right and wrong, but that's not the case with his feelings. He doesn't know if he's just being a scaredy cat, or if it's better left unsaid.