And for the last year or two she has been washed up like poison. That’s why she’s here this summer, visiting royalty, putting on all this act – because she’s practically told by the mayor to get out of town!

– Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 7. Seeing through Blanche’s "act," Stanley rubbishes her claim that she is on a leave of absence from her job in Laurel. He uses a graphic simile to compare her to poison and reveals that the mayor of Laurel told her to leave because of her behavior.