It should be explained to children who see this movie that the son must leave home in order to live his life and establish his own identity. As much as it will make life difficult for his sister and his mother, this is necessary for him. The contrast between the unbearably shy sister and her normal and well adjusted brother is clear. She is doomed to stay at home. He must move away to avoid being smothered by their mother.
Some children remain in the same neighborhood as their parents and even work in the family business.
But this is a good arrangement only if it provides an opportunity for the child to grow and develop a life of his own. That was not possible in this family because of the desperate financial situation, the domineering personality of the mother and the shyness and dependence of the sister. Other plays by Williams include Sweet Bird of Youth , and Night of the Iguana . The son had to leave home. Assume that this play is partly autobiographical and that Tennessee Williams moved away from home in his early twenties, leaving a sister and his mother to fend for themselves.