Arthur Miller Quotes

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. In a not very smart move for a father, Willy condones and even encourages theft by his son. Instead of disciplining Biff for stealing a football from his coach’s locker room, he laughs and actually congratulates him on his initiative. This goes to the theme of self-deception, with Willy fooling himself into believing that values of honesty, integrity and morality are not important to teach his sons. As a result Biff develops a liking for stealing throughout his adult life and even winds up in jail for stealing a suit.