Linda admits to her sons that she and Willy are struggling financially. In the middle of the night, Willy’s talking to himself so loudly that everyone wakes up. Biff, feeling as though he should stay close to home and fix his relationship with his dad, decides to talk to a former employer, Bill Oliver, about getting a loan to start a business. The brothers are legitimately worried, as they have never seen their father like this. He’s ranting so loudly that Happy and Biff wake up. Later that night, Willy starts having flashbacks and talking to imagined images as if they were real people.
Willy thinks Biff is being wish-washy to spite him. Willy thinks Biff could easily be rich and successful, but is wasting his talents and needs to get on track. Biff has just returned home from working as a farmhand in the West. We begin to learn some family background and hear about Willy and Linda’s grown sons, Biff and Happy. Willy thinks that getting the new job is a sure thing since he (wrongly) sees himself as a valuable salesman. Seeing that her husband is no longer able to do his job as a traveling salesman, Willy’s wife, Linda, suggests that he ask his boss, Howard, to give him a local office job at the New York headquarters. After nearly crashing multiple times, Willy has a moment of enlightenment and realizes he shouldn’t be driving. Willy Loman, an old salesman, returns early from a business trip.
