Simon's mature theater work combines comedy with moments of poignance and insight. Examples abound. In The Odd Couple, Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar, although hilarious to see and listen to, demonstrate how destructive a selfish person can be. Promises, Promises dramatizes how Chuck Baxter and Fran Kubelik, who think they can manipulate people at no cost to themselves, learn that others, more shrewd and calculating, manipulate them and make them pay heavily for their proud schemes. The exchanges between Bill and Hannah Warren in California Suite reveal how easy it is to misjudge who is the strong person and who is the weak, and to fail to perceive that although two people talk at length about one topic, their views on that topic merely reflect thoughts and feelings rooted in more fundamental aspects of their lives. Plaza Suite, The Sunshine Boys, and Chapter Two also do a superb job of fusing the comic and the insightful.
Another recurring feature in Simon's plays is the humor itself. It might seem facetious to state that Simon's plays are consistently—at times, dazzlingly—funny. But much too often this primary component of his work is taken for granted. It is not true that all of Simon's hit shows consist of clusters of funny one-liners. Yet even if it were true, it would be no small accomplishment. Precious few people can write any kind of funny lines…. In the 1961–1981 period, Simon's success in creating page after page of laugh-provoking dialogue is unmatched by any other playwright's efforts. Indeed, very few playwrights have matched his achievement during any twenty-year period.
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