The couple push through the crowd to capitalize on the publicity of their son""s notoriety.A photograph is taken of Shaw with his father and the general under a banner: "Johnny Iselin""s Boy!" Suddenly, Shaw is incensed when he realizes that his conniving mother has "organized his disgusting three-ring circus.] Deeds jokes:Budington must feel like an awful stranger.Deeds sits in a chair and excitedly plays his tuba with a new mouthpiece (just received after a wait of two weeks)." [He is skeptical about medical attention for some unknown reason.] Not wishing to do the job himself, Scottie suggests the services of a private detective agency: "Look, this isn""t my line.Fred: What""s the matter?Laura (crying into a handkerchief): Nothing really, it""s nothing.Fred: Darling, what""s wrong? Tell me please.Laura: Really and truly, it""s nothing.I""m just a little run-down, hat""s all.I had a sort of fainting spell at the refreshment room at Milford.Wasn""t it idiotic? Dolly Messiter was with me and she alked and talked...I wanted to strangle her...Isn""t it awful about people meaning to be kind?Fred suggests retiring to the library by the fire to relax where he can also completeThe Times""crossword puzzle."" I don""t want tips from he kitty.I""m in the big game with the big players...In brief, from now on, the best of everything is good enough for me.[Throughout the script, there are numerous allusions o animals - here, Sidney is reminded of his desperate aspirations o rise above his low-dog, self-loathing status as a former pool hall gopher - or as a shrimp or mouse, by ruthlessly playing the "dog eat dog" game.