Later, Amanda's critical remarks toward her son, Tom provokes an argument and Laura nearly cowers as she watches her brother and mother yell at one another. It is then that Tom accidentally breaks some of Laura's precious glass collection as he rushes out the door. When Tom turns to pick-up the glass, he is unable to express his remorse for having shattered something so precious to his sister. The symbolism of the glass in this scene seems to represent Laura's emotions. Her agony is shown and we begin to feel some of the anguish that Laura undergoes. Laura feels at fault for the tension in the house, knowing that most of her mother's worry comes from Laura's neediness. When the glass shatters, it represents the shattered feelings of Laura as her family is in turmoil. We see Laura's guilt manifest itself in reconciliatory fashion as she tries to mend fences between her mother and brother. She persuades Tom to apologize to his mother. Amanda then feels free to belabor her worries of Laura's future, she expresses how "it frightens her terribly how she just drifts along." (1463). She tells Tom that Laura cannot spend the rest of her life playing the Victrola and gazing at the pieces of glass, The reference to the glass in this scene is used by Amanda to sum up Laura's misspent life. He goes on to say that Amanda shouldn't expect too much of her crippled daughter who lives in her own world of little glass ornaments and old music. In Tom's reference to the glass in this scene, the glass is used to reinforce the reality of how very different and fragile Laura is. Amanda refuses to accept Tom's realistic analysis of Laura and goes on about her grand plans for the gentlemen caller's visit. .
Amanda asks Laura "so, what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Amuse ourselves with the glass menagerie, darling (1454)! Her comment is directed towards Laura finding herself a suitable gentlemen caller.