Act 2, Scene 6 Summary

Mr. Diaforus and his son, Thomas Diaforus, enter the room and are greeted warmly by Mr. Argan. Thomas steps forward, at the prompting of his father, to pay his respects to Argan. He tells Mr. Argan that he is most honored to meet his second father, a father to whom he feels he owes more than his first, biological father. He supports this statement by explaining that his biological father claimed him through birth, but Mr. Argan has chosen him. After this speech, Toinette exclaims her thanks to the colleges and universities for creating such clever men as Thomas Diaforus. Her comment is ignored by the rest of the room.

Mr. Argan gestures to his daughter to bow to Thomas. Meanwhile, Thomas asks his father whether he should kiss her. Thomas turns to Angelique and addresses her as Madam, beginning his...