“Next door the man is still yelling, but I can’t make out what he’s saying over the dog and the baby. The woman laughs, not really meaning it, ‘Ha! Ha! Ha!, and suddenly gives a sharp little cry. Everything goes quiet.”
The yelling hints at a conflict in the neighbors' house. Evidently, the dog and the kid are drawn into the conflict. Although the narrator cannot discern the exact happenings in the house, it is manifest that the house is chaotic.
"Nobody knows. That's the worst of it, Frank. Not the being fat, I never got any big kick out of being thin, but the lying. Having to lead a double life like a spy or a hit man. This sounds strange but I feel sorry for those guys, I really do. I know what they go through. Always having to think about what you say and do. Always feeling like people are watching you, trying to catch you at something. Never able to just be yourself. Like when I make a big deal about only having an orange for breakfast and then scarf all the way to work."
Tub explains the challenges which are inherent in the big-bodied persons’ lives. Such persons are compelled to lie so as to justify their fatness. The fat individual are harshly judged by the society so, being hypocritical is a strategy to deal with the severe criticism which they often encounter in their lives. Tub’s assertion mirrors his personal familiarity with how his eating habits are scrutinized. Resolving to have just an orange for one’s breakfast is a move intended to avert weight gain.
