As in Neighbors (1980; see separate entry) Berger's The Houseguest presents a "comedy of bad manners," in this case to provide ironic and satirical commentary on American values and moral confusion in the 1980s. After first establishing himself as a model of the helpful and considerate guest, Chuck Burgoyne, the "houseguest" of the novel, proceeds to violate every unspoken taboo of the host/guest relationship while staying with the Graves family at their summer home on an island off the New England coast. Although the Graveses are by no means flawless or even particularly likable— except for Lydia who has married the Graves's son, Bobby—their manners are so impeccable that the mother and the son have never acknowledged the endless philandering of the father. He, in turn, never voices his disappointment with what he considers their major defects. But Chuck's career of rudeness becomes...