“That is very pleasant. Keeping your family together to share each other’s lives.”

In these lines, William Marshall praises the Hubbard/Giddens family for remaining close for all of these years. The family presents a united, loving front to Marshall to charm him while, behind the scenes, their relationships with one another are marked by manipulation and betrayal. The irony of his statement is that the greed and duplicity surrounding their deal with Marshall is what will ultimately split the family apart.

“It’s not I who play well, sir. It’s my aunt. She plays just wonderfully.”

Throughout the play, music (in particular, the piano) is an escape from the realities of Birdie’s life. Music is the one thing that Birdie longs for and clings to, especially when her husband isn’t around to critique her. Piano playing is also another way Birdie bonds with her niece, Alexandra, whom she admittedly loves more than her own son.

“Lionnet in its day was the best cotton land in the South.”

Lionnet was Birdie’s childhood family home, and part of the Southern aristocratic legacy she left behind when she married Oscar. Though it is not revealed until later, the marriage was more of a business transaction on Oscar’s part than a love affair. In losing control of her family inheritance via marriage to an abusive man, Birdie’s plight represents