Although Barton speaks frequently about his desire to help create "a new, living theater, of and about and for the common man", he does not recognize that such a theater has already been created: the films. In fact, he disdains this authentically popular form. On the other hand, the world of Broadway theatre in "Barton Fink" is a place of high culture, where the creator believes most fully that his work embodies his own values. Although he pretends to disdain his own success, Barton believes he has achieved a great victory with "Bare Ruined Choirs". He seeks praise; when his agent Garland asks if he has seen the glowing review in the "Herald", Barton says "No", even though his producer had just read it to him. Barton feels close to the theatre, confident that it can help him create work that honors "the common man". The men and women who funded the production – "those people", as Barton calls them – demonstrate that Broadway is just as concerned with profit as Hollywood; but its intimacy and smaller scale allow the author to feel that his work has real value.