Act 1, Scene 2 Summary

This scene is set in the lower middle class home of the Bonaparte family. Joe's father, an Italian immigrant, sits with his friend, Mr. Carp, reading the paper. Siggie, Bonaparte's son-in-law, asks him to buy him a cab so he and Joe can work their own company as opposed to making money for another boss. When Mr. Bonaparte responds with one or two word answers, it's clear they've had this conversation before and the answer this time will be the same as it's always been. "No."

Anna, Bonaparte's daughter and Siggie's wife, comes out of their bedroom, asks Siggie to come to bed, and asks her father why he won't buy the cab. Siggie asks how many thousands Bonaparte has in the bank, but Bonaparte doesn't answer the question. Siggie tells Bonaparte that all he wants to do is raise a...