I was so exhausted by all I’d been through my – nerves broke. [Nervously tamping cigarette] I was on the verge of – lunacy, almost! So Mr. Graves – Mr. Graves is the high school superintendent – he suggested I take a leave of absence.
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 1. Blanche explains to Stella why she is no longer working as a teacher. She speaks about being on the edge of lunacy, foreshadowing the end of the play when she is committed to an insane asylum. There is also death imagery here with her school superintendent being named Graves.