This theme is further reinforced by the arrival of the five beggars. The scene could easily exist without their appearance, but Brecht inserts them for several reasons. They primarily serve to show how focuses Peachum is on running his business. Second, Brecht introduces one of the most ironic moments in the play by having Peachum fire a beggar. Brecht subtly criticizes the excesses of capitalism by showing a world where even begging is a profession.
Love is made fun of by portraying it ironically.
Normally a parent would be swayed by arguments of love, but Polly's parents instead advocate divorce for her. When she continues claiming that she is really in love with Macheath, Mrs. Peachum blames the books that Polly used to read. Polly realizes this and tries to point out to her parents that Macheath is financially well off, however, since he is a competitor to her father, Peachum chooses instead to take this opportunity to ruin Macheath. Thus Peachum takes on Macheath not because Polly got married but rather because he sees the marriage as an attack against him. As far as Peachum in concerned, Macheath has declared a war in the London underworld, and he will try to retaliate, even though he is up against great odds.