the longest dialogue of the play ensues. The nihilistic point of the play comes across during this dialog: There is always suffering in the world; one cannot do anything to change that; the world will not care if you are suffering. As evidence for this, Beckmann outlines a hypothetical play:1st Act: Grey skies. A man is suffering.2nd Act: Grey skies. The man continues to be pained.3rd Act: It is getting dark and it is raining.4th Act: It is darker. The man sees a door.5th Act: It is night, deep night, and the door is closed. The man is standing outside. Outside on the doorstep. The man is standing on a riverside, be it the Elbe, the Seine, the Volga, or the Mississippi. The man stands there crazed, frozen, hungry, and damn tired. And then there is a splash, and the ripples make neat little circles, and then the curtain drops. The Other counters that while there is always suffering in the world, there is always hope, and there is always happiness. Dwelling on the suffering cannot accomplish anything; you can make things better by focusing on the good; as he says, "Do you fear the darkness between two lamp-posts?" One by one, each of the characters returns to defend himself. Despite their good intentions, they cannot help. Between these visits, the dialog between Beckmann and the Other goes on. There is little change in the content of their arguments; however, both of them become increasingly desperate. Finally, after the girl and her one-legged husband have left, a desperate Beckmann begins a long monologue, at the end of which he demands an answer from the Other; who is fading away. There is no reply, and Beckman realizes he is all alone. Presumably, he has drowned himself. Form and Language The relatively short play is largely dominated by its protagonist Beckmann, who frequently delivers monologues, including ending the drama in this way. By using colloquial language, Beckmann is portrayed as the average person - "one of those", as he is introduced in the dramatis personae - who uses military slang expressions such as "crash out", "drown" and "booze". The rest of the characters are also vividly shaped by their use of everyday language. Mrs Kramer is characterised through her ordinary vocabulary as part of the petite bourgeois, while the personified Elbe River is a coarse but maternal and tough woman. Various structural