Poverty is an issue frequently associated with Irish writers. In the commentary of the American academic Dodds gives a theoretical framework against which to evaluate the lies of the protagonists, and clearly similar elements to those described by McCourt are seen to operate. Dodds points to the economic conditions, which the catholic poor must face - the wretched housing, shortage of money, unemployment, survival and the worlds of Michael, Lily and Skinner.

The only real characters in the play were the three protagonists. Lily was aged forty-four and was living in a two-room house with twelve other people, including her eleven children, and only sharing one bathroom. Lily draws a picture of ignorant contentedness, which was the kind that Dodds describes as part of the `culture of poverty'.

Michael was a serious and passionate man who was committed to the `civil rights' campaign. Michael was an example of...