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“What are you going to do, Nat?”

“See to the windows and the chimneys too, like they tell you.”

“You think they would break in, with the windows shut? Those sparrows and robins and such? Why, how could they?”

This quote comes on the morning of the second day, just after the family has heard reports of bird attacks across England. While Nat’s wife does not protest his actions to protect the family, she, like other characters, doubts that the birds could cause great damage. She questions the birds’ resolve, even though her son was hurt by the birds the previous evening, after birds broke through the bedroom window. This quote shows Nat’s wife’s lack of imagination and her tendency to be complacent. In this way, she represents much of the population who has yet to realize, let alone accept, the danger of their situation.

His wife looked up at him, her face alight. “It’s planes,” she said; “they’re sending out planes after the birds. That’s what I said they ought to do all along. That will get them. Isn’t that gunfire? Can’t you hear guns?”

This quote occurs during supper on the third day, when the family hears planes in the distance. From the first morning, Nat’s wife has placed the responsibility of solving the bird crisis on the government. After the second wireless announcement, she declares the Army ought to do something, which she reiterates in this quote. Nat’s wife is one of many citizens who don’t have the experience or foresight to know how to protect themselves when danger arrives. Instead of thinking for herself and taking action, she prefers to believe that someone else, anyone else, will come to the rescue. This mindset shows the dangers of complacency.

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