Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

There are three characters in this play: John Cleary, Nettie Cleary and Timmy Cleary

It is a Saturday morning in 1946 and the stage is set in a kitchen and living room of a middle class apartment in the West Bronx in New York. There is evidence of a party the night before; we see a beer keg, a stack of chairs and a sagging banner that reads "Welcome Home, Timmy."

John Cleary stands in the kitchen examining the army jacket hanging on the door. He touches the jacket and all the bars and medals and then impulsively puts it on—and then removes it as he hears someone coming. He quickly moves to the kitchen table and pretends as if he has been engrossed in the newspaper.

His wife, Nettie, enters with groceries and asks if Timmy is still asleep. They...