A Thousand Clowns Chapter Summary & Analysis - Act 1, Part 2 Summary

Act 1, Part 2 Summary

Nick opens the door and Albert and Sandra, representatives from Child Welfare who've come to gather information about Nick's home life, enter. Murray clears away the chairs, and Nick exits to make coffee. Albert, speaking very formally, explains that because Murray has avoided dealing with both phone calls and letters from the office, the file on Nick is incomplete. He repeatedly suggests that Nick should be asked to leave so that Sandra's questions relating to the psychology of the case and Albert's questions about Murray's circumstances can be asked and answered openly. While Albert is speaking, Murray is making jokes and flirting with Sandra, and Nick is preparing and bringing in coffee, all of which flusters Albert.

As Albert and Sandra ask their questions, Murray and Nick play an apparently habitual game in which they try to guess where people come from by their speech. They correctly identify Sandra's background,...
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