Newly married, George and Esther stand awkwardly in their new apartment, still in their wedding clothes. George is rougher than he seemed in his letters and has a thicker accent than Esther imagined. Esther finally breaks the uneasy silence with anxious chatter, and George makes it clear that he wants to consummate the marriage. He admits that he had imagined that Esther would be prettier based on her letters, and Esther asserts that she had described her character and stands by those words. Esther is nervous, confessing that George is more attractive than she expected and she is a virgin. Suddenly, she tells George that she has a gift for him and returns with a smoking jacket, made from the Japanese silk that she bought early in the first act. George tries it on but is obviously uncomfortable in something so elegant and takes it off.

Esther pleads with him to tell him something about himself before they have sex. She tells him about her parents and how she came to New York, how she learned to be a brilliant seamstress. In return, George briefly says that his parents “were chattel… born to children of chattel” (74) and that is his entire family history.