In this essay, Petrusso considers The Chairs a play about self-delusion.

Eugene lonesco's play The Chairs lends itself to many different interpretations. For example, Allan Lewis asserts in lonesco, "The Old Man seeks certainty and truth in the midst of the absurd."

The Chairs explores the lack of truth in the Old Man and Old Woman's life, reflecting the lies humans often tell themselves. Many critics also believe the play is about communication between people. This essay argues that The Chairs is about people's deluded communication with themselves, which reflects their innate isolation.

The Old Man is the most delusional of the three characters; his needs direct the course of the play. His delusions are evident from the beginning. After the Old Woman pulls him away from the window, lonesco writes in the stage directions that "the Old Man seats himself quite naturally on the lap of...