Amanda: "You don't know things anywhere! You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions!" (1288).
Even though the entire play is mirrored after an illusion, the characters are also caught up in their own illusions. Since they are so focused on their own dreams and memories, their relationships suffer. For Amanda, her illusions revolve around the past, specifically her glory days in the South. She often reminisces about her many gentlemen callers that were enthralled with her beauty and charm. She also recalls memories of her husband as well, never blaming herself for him leaving. Amanda has trouble dealing with her children and their failures, so she retreats to her illusions and memories of the past in order to look more favorably upon her current life. Laura is also consumed by illusions, and Tom mentions how she lives in another world. She is distracted, so painfully shy that she withdraws from reality. She also looks back on her high school days with Jim, one of her few social interactions. Tom also dreams of adventure, escaping realities through movies and his plans for the future.
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