Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it.
– Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman, Act 1. A pessimistic Willy is hit by the realization of the pointlessness of working hard all his life to to pay for his own home, only for his sons to leave him and him to grow old and die. This quote is linked to Willy’s feeling of failure to achieve the American Dream. It’s also about the themes of abandonment and family. His words are echoed by wife Linda at the end of the play in the Requiem. As she mourns her husband’s death by suicide, she says over Willy’s grave: "I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody home."