Stella is my precious little sister. I call her little in spite of the fact she’s somewhat older than I. Just slightly. Less than a year.
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 3. Blanche lies to Mitch about how old she is in order to hide her age and fading beauty. She claims to be younger than her sister Stella. But Scene 1 stage directions tell us that Stella is about twenty-five and Blanche is about five years older, making her around thirty. Blanche simply refuses to face the reality of aging.