John Osborne

JIMMY: Do the Sunday papers make you feel ignorant?
CLIFF: Not ‘arf.
JIMMY: Well, you are ignorant. You’re just a peasant. (To Alison.) What about you? You’re not a peasant are you?
ALISON: (absently). What’s that?
JIMMY: I said do the papers make you feel you’re not so brilliant after all?
ALISON: Oh—I haven’t read them yet.
JIMMY: I didn’t ask you that. I said—
CLIFF: Leave the poor girlie alone. She’s busy.
JIMMY: Well, she can talk, can’t she? You can talk, can’t you? You can express an opinion. Or does the White Woman’s Burden make it impossible to think?
ALISON: I’m sorry. I wasn’t listening properly.
JIMMY: You bet you weren’t listening. Old Porter talks, and everyone turns over and goes to sleep. And Mrs. Porter gets ‘em all going with the first yawn.
CLIFF: Leave her alone, I said.
JIMMY: (shouting). All right, dear. Go back to sleep. It was only me talking. You know? Talking? Remember? I’m sorry.
CLIFF: Stop yelling. I’m trying to read.
JIMMY: Why do you bother? You can’t understand a word of it.
CLIFF: Uh huh.
JIMMY: You’re too ignorant.
CLIFF: Yes, and uneducated. Now shut up, will you?