Seattle
Lyman tells Brooke, Trip and Silda how he said goodbye to Henry in Seattle for the last time. The imagery is of a man who loves his son and is willing to do anything in order to protect him, including never seeing him again. It reveals the true character and nature of this man.
Palm Springs
The setting of the play is in Palm Springs. The imagery of place is a representation of somewhere that bears no fruit, the land is dead, and a place where people go to hold on to any glory that is left from their lives. It creates the assumption that Lyman and Polly have run away from the limelight, whereas they've done so in order to not have anyone discover that there son is alive. Thus, Lyman and Polly have metaphorically become deserts, as Lyman describes half his heart has died.
Laurel Canyon
Baitz uses Silda's memory of getting a desperate phone call from Henry while throwing a party at her home on Laurel Canyon. You can see the party, the drunken nature of Silda more concerned with her guests than her nephew who is in real danger. How she abandoned him for a party.
Cold Nights
Lyman brings firewood in from outside in order to heat the home. He says he still hasn't gotten used to how cold the nights can be in the desert. The imagery represents how literally cold the desert is and the coldness between he and his daughter, Brooke.
