Death – I used to sit here and she used to sit over there and death was as close as you are… We didn’t dare even admit we had ever heard of it!
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 9. Blanche says this in response to the Mexican flower vendor’s attempt to sell her flowers for the dead. Blanche’s descent into madness is apparent, as she personifies death and likens it to a living person that constantly haunts her.