Read the following extracts from the play carefully and draw your inferences about the kind of person Herbert is.

By looking at the given extracts, one can say that Herbert was the youth of the century, who did not believe in omens and supernaturals. Like any other adult, there was an essence of liveliness and joviality in him, as he kept the environment light and healthy in the moment of seriousness and tension. Morris' dialogue given above is the direct implication of the fact that he was very practical and did not believe in the power of the paranormal. When Mr. White suggests about keeping the paw, he mocks at his idea calling it ‘stuff and nonsense.’

Herbert's humor and sarcasm comes to light when he taunts his father saying- "You'll find the cash tied up in the middle of the bed". He wishes to lower the seriousness of the moment by playing slow music, adding an essence of humor to it. The relation between the members of the family is explained in a way that Herbert feels comfortable in passing sarcastic judgments in front of his parents, and laughing along.

Another characteristic feature of Herbert which can be inferred from the dialogue "I shall be with you about nine" and "Herbert hates us to wait" is that he was a carefree person who was not tied to rules, and acted according to his wish. He did not want his parents to wait for him as there was no certainty in his plan and time of action. He could turn out any time, and there was always a possibility of him dropping plans suddenly.

We can say that it was this carefree nature of Herbert that brought him closer to death, as it was in one of these light moments that he got caught up in a machine and lost his life.