Our Town

In the above quotation, the most significant idea that can be found is that there is a large gap between the generations.

Mrs. Gibbs is worried that her son, George, is becoming lazy and is unwilling to do chores around the house. As she complains to her husband, Dr. Gibbs, he's just no help to her anymore. Something's clearly gotten into him, but she doesn't know what.

Dr. Gibbs sits down with George and tries to get him to change his ways. He does this by making George feel guilty over not helping his mother out with the chores. But more subtly, he does this by raising George's spending money by twenty-five cents a week.

In doing so, Dr. Gibbs clearly understands that George is at that delicate age where he's beginning the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood. It's during our teenage years when the gap between the generations is most keenly felt, and George is no different in that regard.

His newfound laziness and reluctance to help his mother with the chores isn't a sign that George is bad, but rather that he's in the process of growing up, which, ironically, accentuates the generational gap between himself and his parents.