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All shine, and no substance! [Turning to Cates] Bert, whenever you see something bright, shining, perfect-seeming—all gold, with purple spots—look behind the paint! And if it’s a lie—show it up for what it really is!

At the beginning of Act Three, Drummond, awaiting the court’s verdict, speaks to Cates about the importance of an individual’s personal search for truth. Drummond recounts the story of the “Golden Dancer,” a rocking horse he had been given as a child, to emphasize the importance of this search. Golden Dancer seemed beautiful in the store window but broke into pieces as soon as Drummond rode it, for its manufacturing was shoddy. Drummond uses the story to emphasize the deceptive nature of superficial beauty, as a way to encourage Cates to persevere in searching for the underlying truths of the world for both himself and his community.

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