All I can do now is wait for the merchandise manager to die. And suppose I get to be merchandise manager? He’s a good friend of mine, and he just built a terrific estate on Long Island. And he lived there about two months and sold it, and now he’s building another one. He can’t enjoy it once it’s finished. And I know that’s just what I would do. I don’t know what the hell I’m workin’ for.
– Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman, Act 1. Although Happy is making money, he like brother Biff is not fully satisfied with his life. The emptiness of pursuing an American Dream based on material success alone and having all the random women he needs is spelled out here. Happy knows that this kind of success will never be enough to make him happy. The fact that he is named Happy is an example of verbal irony by Miller.