Act 1, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis

Half way through the first act, Felix Ungar finally arrives at the apartment of Oscar Madison. His poker buddies, believing that Felix might not want to be reminded of his marital problems, have decided not to mention the telephone call from Felix's wife and to pretend that everything is "normal." However, Felix, clearly a broken man, continues to drop clues that not all is right. He sighs heavily. His downcast demeanor provides ample evidence to his friends that something is very, very wrong. The friends attempt to "read" Felix's actions and words, looking for any sign that he might be considering suicide. Every movement he makes, like going to the bathroom alone, is analyzed for possible warning signs that Felix is considering suicide, and though suicide is hardly a humorous topic, Simon manages to create a hilarious...