Rabe explores the conflicted feelings of many civilians during the era by parodying the ideal American family as it was portrayed on the television sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Beneath the perfect facade of the playwright's fictional Nelson family are layers of prejudice, bigotry, and self-hatred that are peeled away slowly as they interact with their physically and emotionally damaged son and brother.
The author examines the conflicted emotions of many civilians during the era by satirizing the idealized American family portrayed on the TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Beneath its flawless exterior, Rabe's fictional Nelson family harbors layers of prejudice, bigotry, and self-hatred that are slowly exposed as they interact with their physically and emotionally damaged son and brother.