"'Ey,Mam,how come I'm on free dinners?All the other kids laugh at me" –
Social class, Mrs Johnson and family are poor, and Mrs Lyons family are wealthy.

"Myself,I believe that an adopted son can become one's own."
Mrs Lyons persuading Mrs Johnson to give her a baby.

"Havin' babies,it's like clockwork to me"
Mrs Johnson is in her 20s but already has 7 children, shows she is maternal

"Oh God,Mrs Lyons,never put new shoes on a table...You never know what'll happen"
Mrs Johnson is a very supersticious character, important in the novel as Mrs Lyons preys on this trait. This also shows she is not very well educated.

"There's shoes upon the table an' a joker in the pack"
The narrator also emphasis’ the superstitious side of Mrs Johnson.

"They say I'm incapable of controllin' the kids I've already got"
A reason for Mrs Johnson to give a baby away, the council want to take them away already.

"Give one to me"
Mrs Lyons telling Mrs Johnson to give her one of the twins, very bluntly.

"They...they say that if either twin learns that he once was a pair,they shall both immediately die
Mrs Lyons preying on to Mrs Johnson being superstisious, as she does not want her to tell the truth about the twins, threatening her indirectly.

"Gis a sweet"
Mickey using slang, not polite, when asking Edward for a sweet.

"Yes, of course.Take as many as you want"
Edward showing his generous side, and also he is trying to make friends as he has been lonely because Mrs Lyons is so over protective.

"See,this means that we're blood brothers,an' that we always have to stand by each other.”
Mickey and Edward are now close friends and this is parallel to their separation as they now consider eachother brothers anyway.

"There's no such thing as a bogey man.It's a-a superstition"
Mrs Lyons, talking to Edward, sees the same trait in her son as his real mother, and hates this, so quickly snaps him into reality.

"I don't want you mixing with boys like that!"
She is a very protective mother, as she does not want her son to have friends, just incase the truth is found out.

"Well,there'll be no more bloody warnings from now on.Either you keep them in order,missus,or it'll be the courts for you,or worse,won't it?"
"I'm not sure I'd let him mix with the likes of them"
"Makes sure he keeps with his own kind”
This scene is pivotal in the whole novel, as it shows the inequality between classes, as the policeman is rude to Mrs Johnson, threatening to send her son to court, whereas he sugar coats the whole event to Mrs Lyons, and tells her to make sure her son doesn’t get involved with the others, even though he is really as much to blame as the others.

"Are you always going to follow me?"
Mrs Lyons is paranoid, as they have moved away only for Mrs Johnson to be there aswell.

"If I was Mickey I'd have asked you out years ago"
A suttle hint from Edward that he may like Linda.

"Why...why is a job so important?
Edward showing that he is naïve by not understanding why a job is important, whilst trying to give Mickey money, despite Mickey not wanting to be a charity, and wanting to be independent.
"I could have been...I could have been him!
Mickey finds out about the separation when he was about to shoot Edward, and is green with envy as he sees a reflection of what he could have been in the shape of his twin brother.

And do we blame superstition for what came to pass?
Or could it be we,the English,have come to know as class?
The final words of the narrator sum up the novel as he talks about two of the themes that are constantly re occurring in the play, Superstition and class."

Linda:

Relationship with Eddie

She dominates him in the gang. "He is look. Eddie's scared."
She tries to wind Mickey up by saying, "He's gorgeous, isn't he?"
"There's a few bob in your pocket and you've got good friends." - The three of them are having a good time together.
"If I was Mickey, I would of asked you out years ago." Edward feels strongly towards Linda.
"I suppose I always... Loved you, in a way." She seems unsure about her feelings towards Edward even though he loves her.
"Suddenly they kiss." She falls in love with Edward.

Relationship With Mickey

"Linda moves in to protect Mickey." She cares for Mickey, even when they're just playing as children.
"You stay where you are Mickey." Protects Mickey from going off the bus with Sammy who just threatened the Bus Conductor with a knife.
"Take no notice Mickey. I love you." She stands up for Mickey in the classroom.
Tries to get Mickey to kiss her.
"Mam, Linda's pregnant." - They're in a serious relationship.
Linda visits Mickey in prison.
"I need you, I love you. But Mickey, not when you've got them inside you." She wants Mickey to come off the pills because she cares about him so much.

Themes :
Social Class
Family and friendship for characters from two different social classes form the heart of the play. Russell shows how wealth brings privilege, even down to the way the Johnstone's and the Lyons are treated differently by the law.
'Ey,Mam,how come I'm on free dinners?All the other kids laugh at me" – Social class, Mrs Johnson and family are poor, and Mrs Lyons family are wealthy. "Well,there'll be no more bloody warnings from now on.Either you keep them in order,missus,or it'll be the courts for you,or worse,won't it?" Policeman to Mrs Johnson
"I'm not sure I'd let him mix with the likes of them"
"Makes sure he keeps with his own kind” Policeman to Mrs Lyons.
This scene is pivotal in the whole novel, as it shows the inequality between classes, as the policeman is rude to Mrs Johnson, threatening to send her son to court, whereas he sugar coats the whole event to Mrs Lyons, and tells her to make sure her son doesn’t get involved with the others, even though he is really as much to blame as the others.
Superstition
Oh God Mrs Lyons, never put new shoes on a table, You never know what’ll happen.” Mrs Johnson is a very superstiocious character, important in the novel as Mrs Lyons preys on this trait, this also shows Mrs Johnson is not very well educated.
"There's shoes upon the table an' a joker in the pack"The narrator also emphasis’ the superstitious side of Mrs Johnson.
"There's no such thing as a bogey man.It's a-a superstition"
Mrs Lyons, talking to Edward, sees the same trait in her son as his real mother, and hates this, so quickly snaps him into reality.

And do we blame superstition for what came to pass?
Or could it be we,the English,have come to know as class?
The final words of the narrator sum up the novel as he talks about two of the themes that are constantly re occurring in the play, Superstition and class."

Nature vs Nuture
The 'nature versus nurture' debate is about how much a persons life is determined by their inherited genetics (their 'nature') and how much is determined by the environment they grow up in ('nurture'). The boys are identical twins and so the difference in the way their lives turn out must be a result of their different upbringings and social positions. Russell uses the twins idea to persuade us that attitudes in society influence peoples lives more than their individual efforts at wanting to do well.

Russell's play is deliberately objecting to a view that was popular in the UK at the time the play was written. Margaret Thatcher's right wing conservative government claimed that everyone who wanted to work hard could be successful. But Russell clearly objects to this view.

"I could have been...I could have been him!
Mickey finds out about the separation when he was about to shoot Edward, and is green with envy as he sees a reflection of what he could have been in the shape of his twin brother.

Friendship

In the play, the friendship between Eddie and Mickey is initially strong despite their different social backgrounds. Russell is saying that children can make friends easily and form strong relationships even if their parents don't approve. He is suggesting that human nature is blind to social conventions.

But in the adult world, unemployment and poverty hits Mickey. Edward seems to him to be from a different world. Russell seems to suggest that friendship is dependent upon shared experiences. Once the two characters go their separate ways, shaped and moulded by education, wealth and social status, tensions develop between them.

"Why...why is a job so important?
Edward showing that he is naïve by not understanding why a job is important, whilst trying to give Mickey money, despite Mickey not wanting to be a charity, and wanting to be independent.
"See,this means that we're blood brothers,an' that we always have to stand by each other.”
Mickey and Edward are now close friends and this is parallel to their separation as they now consider eachother brothers anyway.