Question

CHARACTERS

MRS. MOLLIE ESPENHAYNE
MR. ROBERT ESPENHAYNE

SCENE: The Espenhayne dining-room.
The curtain rises on the Espenhayne dining-room which is furnished with modest taste and refinement. There is a door, center, leading to the living-room, and a swinging door, left, leading to the kitchen.
The table is set, and ROBERT and MOLLIE ESPENHAYNE are discovered at their evening meal. They are educated, well-bred young Americans. ROBERT is a pleasing, energetic business man of thirty; MOLLIE an attractive woman of twenty-five. The bouillon cups are before them as the curtain rises.

BOB:
Mollie, I heard from the man who owns that house in Kenilworth. He wants to sell the house, but won't rent.
MOLLIE:
I really don't care, Bob. That house was too far from the station, and it had only one sleeping-porch, and you know I want white-enameled woodwork in the bedrooms. But, Bob, I've been terribly stupid!
BOB:
How so, Mollie?
MOLLIE:
You remember the Russells moved to Highland Park last spring?
BOB:
Yes; Ed Russell rented a house that had just been built.
MOLLIE:
A perfectly darling little house! Fanny Russell once told me that the man who built it will put up a house for anyone who will take a five-year lease, and she says that the man is very competent and they are simply delighted with their place.
BOB:
Why don't we get in touch with the man?
MOLLIE:
Wasn't it stupid of me not to think about it? It just flashed into my mind this morning, and I sat down at once and sent a special-delivery letter to Fanny Russell asking her to tell me his name at once and where we can find him.
BOB:
Good! You ought to have an answer by tomorrow or Thursday and we'll go up north and have a talk with him on Saturday.
MOLLIE:
[With enthusiasm.] Wouldn't it be wonderful if he'd build just what we want! Fanny Russell says every detail of their house is perfect including the garage; they use it—
BOB:
[Interrupting.] Mollie, that's the one thing I'm afraid of about the North Shore plan. I've said repeatedly that I don't want to buy a car for another year or two. But here you are, talking about a garage already.
MOLLIE:
But you didn't let me finish what I was saying. The Russells have fitted up their garage as a playroom for the children. If we had a garage we could do the same thing.
BOB:
Well, let's keep temptation behind us and not even talk to the man about a garage. If we move up north it must be on an economy basis for a few years; just a half-way step between the apartment and the house we used to plan. You mustn't get your heart set on a car.
What is the best way to describe the theme?
*
It is better to discuss one's interests with others.
It is important to have realistic dreams.
People can learn by observing others.
Renting a house is better than buying one.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The theme of the conversation between Bob and Mollie is about making thoughtful and realistic decisions when it comes to their housing plans. Bob emphasizes the importance of keeping their expenses in check and not getting carried away with unnecessary luxuries like a garage and a car. Mollie, on the other hand, is excited about the possibility of getting exactly what they want in a new house but learns from Bob's caution that they need to approach the situation with practicality in mind. The theme that can be derived from this conversation is that it is important to have realistic dreams and to make decisions based on practicality and necessity rather than purely on desire.