The passage given belongs to the beginning of the Act I. It shows the exposition of the play where it introduces important background information to the audience. It makes reference to the significance of community and its moral codes on ratting out. Eddie is the tragic hero of the play, and tragic theory tells that at first the tragic hero is a respected character. This passage takes place when Eddie is still a respected man by his community and family; therefore he talks with a confident tone and makes himself clear enough to make Beatrice and Catherine understand his point. The purpose of this passage is to engage the audience into the play by making them feel intrigued about what will happen and what are they referring to; as Eddies tone is serious it shows points of tension which also makes the audience engage. Eddie talks about something, which cannot be mentioned or said out loud, so he keeps saying to Beatrice and Catherine “You – don’t – know – nothin’.” His tone and confidence as he talks makes him very serious about illegal immigration, he even makes reference to the Vinny Bolzano case. Eddie is very serious about making Beatrice and Catherine keep their mouths shout and never talk about “who they are or what they’re doin’ here.” The purpose is to expose one of the most significant themes in the play, which is the importance of codes in Italian communities. The presentation of characters and the setting of the play is a very important purpose of this passage, where it shows the position of Eddie in his community and family and how he is well respected; as the play continues he will slowly disintegrate and loose his respect therefore we can say that this passage is a foreshadowing of what will happen to him. In the text, Eddie is trying to talk seriously to Beatrice and Catherine and make them aware about illegal immigration. “This is the United States government you’re playn’ with now ()” Eddie