As soon as Mitch mentions his mother, Blanche draws him to the subject of love, seeing in him a warmth and "capacity for devotion." She tells him at last the story of her early marriage, in which lies the source of her torment. Mitch again responds awkwardly but is deeply moved. His sympathy and momentary understanding are sincere. At that point, he is at his highest in the play, although brought there by the influence of Blanche. It is in the denouement that he is again won over by the power of the world of Stanley, but for a brief moment Mitch had the possibility of saving the fragile Blanche and of being redeemed by her. The very characteristics that make him ordinary would have been indispensable to her — his honesty, stability, loyalty, and love. It is consistent with his lack of imagination that he should leave Blanche when confronted with her past. He could not see through her acting during the summer, for she herself had come to believe in her role. Her world where truth and fiction are blended was incomprehensible to him. Mitch failed to understand that Blanche could sincerely tell him, "Never inside, I didn't lie in my heart." His world crumbled, and he was unable to perceive the actual depth of Blanche's feelings.
In the last scene Mitch is once again playing poker, moody and ill-tempered. He bursts out at Stanley angrily, betraying his uneasiness. He is unable to concentrate on the game when he hears Blanche's voice, although several weeks have passed since their previous meeting. By staring down at his hands on the table, he is able to maintain the control he loses a few minutes later. Alone in his sympathy for Blanche, especially as he understands her aversion to this destructive environment, he lashes out wildly at Stanley. He seems to blame Stanley for interfering with a relationship that should have been left alone, but then he collapses in ineffectual sobs. Mitch fails by realizing too late the vulnerable beauty of Blanche and thus, he is left as lonely and alone as Blanche.
