The zoo story : a play

E. Albee

This one-act play concerns two characters Peter, a middle-class publishing executive with a wife and two daughters and Jerry, an isolated and disheartened man who is very troubled. These men meet on a park bench in New York City's Central Park. Jerry is desperate to have a meaningful conversation with another human being. He intrudes on Peters peaceful state by interrogating him and forcing him to listen to stories from his life. The play deals with issues of human isolation, loneliness, class differences, and the dangers of inaction within American society.