Simon sets up a series of juxtapositions in the play: self-control vs. impulse, reason vs. feeling, and logic vs. fun. The four main characters begin the play on extreme poles and move toward a productive balance as the conflict resolves in Act Three. Paul and Ethel exhibit control, reason, and logic, while Corie and Victor represent impulse, feeling, and fun.

In Act One, Paul’s negative attitude toward the apartment, his refusal to walk barefoot in the park, and his intense work focus demonstrate his proclivities for self-control, reason, and logic. He typically explains his attitude and behavior through logical means. It was too “ice-cold” (18) to walk barefoot. His ambitions require he work long hours. The apartment has legitimate shortcomings, such as no heat in December and a hole in the skylight. Paul also considers Ethel and Victor’s blind date through a logical lens. The two have nothing in common hence the date and any potential relationship between them are doomed from the start. When Corie wants to argue and demands a divorce at the end of Act Two, Paul wants to sleep. He obeys his body’s needs even in the midst of emotional turmoil, which Corie cannot do.