Dilapidated Dreams in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is a play best summed up in its title, it is just that, death of a seller. This death is not necessarily the physical end of a human life, but the crumbling end of the dreams of Willie Loman, the main character of the play. The three main parts of Willie's world are his work, his family, and his image as seen by the eyes of the world. rest of the world. Although these parts are intertwined and related, it is best to divide and analyze them separately. The first part of Willie's world is his work. Willie is a salesman for a large company in New York. Willie's self-image and much of his self-esteem are based on his work. In his mind he is still the same as he once was, well known and respected among New England area clientele. But things have changed and the people Willie once knew in the industry are no longer there and he no longer has the contacts he once had. Its failure to address and adapt to this changing business has caused, among other things, lost wages. Willie has lost his competitive edge and with it his sense of self-worth and identity. The second part of Willie's world is his family, more specifically his son, Biff. Biff is Willie's eldest and favorite son. Willie has high expectations and transfers his dreams, as so many fathers do, to Biff. Biff cannot live up to his father's expectations and has dreams of his own that cause Willie to see him as a slacker, an inept bum with no desire to succeed. Although Willie's dreams are not realized in Biff, his son's respect is still important. This respect is lost when Biff catches his father in an affair with a young woman. Even though this isn't talked about (Biff never told anyone, not even his mother) it still creates tension and makes Biff lose the respect he once had for Willie. Willie's main philosophy in life is "You will like and you will never want." and this is the cause of the problems in the third part of Willie's life, his image. Image is everything to Willie. In his past he was a much loved, known and respected man who made his image his success, but his image has changed.