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“Y'are very snug in here,” piped old Mr. Woodifield, and he peered out of the great, green-leather armchair by his friend the boss's desk as a baby peers out of its pram.

The opening line of the story provides the first example of dialogue from Mr. Woodifield. Throughout the story, Mr. Woodifield is infantilized by both the boss and the circumstances of his age. The boss sees Mr. Woodifield as a frail old man whom he pities for his failing memory and reliance on his wife and children. At first, comparisons of Mr. Woodifield to a baby set up a sharp contrast to the descriptions of the boss as capable and in charge. Later, when the similarities between the two men are revealed, this initial perception of the boss becomes ironic. This quote also demonstrates that while Mr. Woodifield may be given the naivety of a child in his characterization, he has also managed to retain his ability to find wonder in things that have lost meaning to the boss.

“There's miles of it,” quavered old Woodifield, “and it's all as neat as a garden. Flowers growing on all the graves. Nice broad paths.” It was plain from his voice how much he liked a nice broad path.

Mr. Woodifield says this quote after the boss reveals he has not visited his son’s grave, and it places the old man’s priorities far from the boss’s. Having moved past the tragedies of the war, Mr. Woodifield speaks of the graveyard casually, even positively. He focuses on the design of the place where the boss’s son is buried, while the boss cannot even bring himself to think of the grave without strong negative emotions. Mr. Woodifield is concerned with the present moment. While his elaboration of the grave illustrates his naivety, it is also part of what makes Woodifield more content than the boss. It has been six years, and Mr. Woodifield isn’t being cruel in bringing the subject up. Instead, he’s trying to help the boss cope with the loss of his son by reassuring him about the quality of his final resting place.

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