The Boys Next Door

This was an interesting play. It gave a very unbiased glimpse of what mentally challenged individuals have to deal with: day-to-day living in the world while knowing their disability prevents them from doing certain things, interacting with others who are mentally challenged and those who are not, and attempting to find their
niche in a society that doesn't quite understand them. We may consider the mentally challenged as being strange, retarded, and even stupid. But in reality they're ordinary people who have some of the same emotions as we do. Barry experiences sadness and fear when his father, in a fit of rage, hits him on the side of his head. Arnold is hurt when Jack loses his temper and yells at him.Lucien is nervous about going before the State Senate to convince them that he is not ready to leave his group home. Norman is in love with Sheila. All the guys become very upset when Jack informs them that he is leaving them and taking a job as a travel agent. The play ends sadly and poignantly. It's sad not only because Jack is leaving the guys but also because Barry, as  a result of the incident with his father, has some type of breakdown and has to be sent to an institution. But the end is also poignant because even though Arnold tells Jack that he "hates" him, the last thing Arnold tells Jack before the play ends is: "Jack, and I emphasize this, you've got better behavior patterns than a lot of, I repeat, people" and the two men laugh (65). Go back to the end of the first act and read the part where Arnold tells Jack that his "behavior patterns are not one bit fun (33), " then read the first quote again, and I think you'll figure out why Arnold's comment to Jack at the end of the play is so important.