The play is a comedy of manners, set in a single dining room where 18 scenes from different households overlap and intertwine. Some scenes are about the furniture itself and the emotional attachment to it, while other scenes simply flesh out the culture of the owners. Overall, it tells the story of the dying (and relatively short-lived) culture of upper-middle class Americans, and the transition into a much more efficient society with less emphasis on tradition and more emphasis on progress. Some characters are made fun of, as is the culture itself, but there is also a genuine longing for the sense of stability, comfort and togetherness that the culture provides.

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