Act 3, Scene 1 Summary

Sir Oliver, Sir Peter, and Rowley hatch a plan that will allow Sir Oliver to judge Charles and Joseph Surface on their relative merits. A man by the name of Stanley has appealed to both men for financial help. However, neither man has ever seen either Stanley or Sir Oliver, so Sir Oliver can pretend to be Stanley in order to see how his nephews will treat him. The plan changes slightly when Mr. Moses, a money-lender, informs Sir Oliver that Charles has asked to borrow money from a Mr. Premium. Sir Oliver can actually pretend to be a money-lender when he meets with Charles.

After Sir Oliver and Moses leave to check on Oliver's two nephews, Maria arrives to speak with Sir Peter about her engagement to Charles. Of course, Sir Peter tries to convince Maria to turn her attentions...