In my edition of Fahrenheit 451 (Simon & Schuster, 2012), Montag reads aloud to the women in the parlor on page 96. He reads Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach," which is actually a plea for love and understanding in a confused world. Mildred, Montag's brainwashed wife, tells her guests that firemen are allowed to take home one book a year to show others what "junk" it is and how confused books made people in the old days (page 95). The response of one of the women is to cry hysterically when Montag is finished reading, as she doesn't know how to suddenly handle the mix of emotions the poetry evokes in her after a lifetime of anodyne emotions. Mildred begs her guest to stay so they can watch the "family" on television, but her guest refuses and promptly leaves. The guests regard literature as terrifying and bewildering.

On page 96, Montag reads the poem Dover Beach to Mildred and her friends in the parlor room. The poem reflects the decayed society that they live in and mentions the lack of faith in the world. The poem mentions that there is no joy, love, light, certitude, or peace in the world. The dystopian society Montag and the women live in, is void of emotions and authentic experiences. Dover Beach is a representation of their hopeless society. The last line of the poem mentions "ignorant armies," which is ironic because Mildred's friends were just commenting on the current war taking place. After hearing the poem, Mrs. Phelps begins to cry. In the dystopian society, citizens like Mrs. Phelps never confront their emotions and suppress them using pharmaceuticals. When Mrs. Phelps hears the poem, she becomes overwhelmed and breaks down. Mrs. Bowles yells at Montag for reading the poem because she believes that Montag was attempting to hurt Mrs. Phelp's feelings.