I don't get it. Was she just really scared that the government would find out that they're reading books, or was she really touched and affected by the poem?
Montag's reading of "Dover Beach" stirs Mrs. Phelp's emotions which have long been blocked by the city's culture, mass media...The poetry and narrative that Montag reads to the women overwhelms them with emotion. These women are not prepared to process real feelings and emotion that these words provoke: they have been "dumbed down" by their superficial parlour walls and disposable entertainment. The words Montag recites stirs something in their souls that they are not prepared for.
