te will provide contentment. He is completely enamored by her youthful innocence and "he watch[es] her as she [stands] behind the counter and he [is] troubled and sad. He want[s] to reach out his hand and touch her sunburned, tousled hair- not in as he had ever touched a woman" (121). Biff doesn't seem to understand why he gets these feelings around Mick. Why is it that he wants make her happy by giving her hot chocolate at a low price, and why in the world does he does he want to be paternal with her by tousling her hair? Biff doesn't understand these feelings and that troubles him deeply. McCullers' methods create irony in this passage because Biff is portrayed as the philosopher who always analyzes and understands other people, however when it comes to himself, he is confused and lost. Biff has to understand himself before he understands his longings for innocence and purity which are shown when he sees as beautiful Mick's contentment with her hot chocolate.
             In the second section McCullers juxtaposes Biff's perspective of his loveless marriage, against his ideal relationship of innocence and purity. Biff has "many worries on his mind" (121) which clearly proves his anxiousness. Biff observes Alice at the Café, and notices that she has a fatigued look about her and makes constant mistakes. She gets sicker as the days go by. McCullers uses this section to emphasize the difference between his reality and his desires. Biff's wife being sick contrasts sharply to Mick's youthful healthiness. Though Biff and Alice know about her progressing sickness "they [do] not speak of this together. At night he work[s] downstairs while she [sleeps], and during the morning she manage[s] the restaurant alone" (121). Alice and Biff have quit communicating and hold a false marriage. They never talk about anything, never see each other and avoid each other at all costs. Thus, Biff Brannon's life lacks per...