Simon sums up human faults more harshly than Emily. To him the living move in a "cloud of ignorance . at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another " Perhaps he is bitter because he wasted his own life on alcohol. He recognizes that he "trampled on the feelings" of others. Consequently, he feels that life was a terrible experience. The other spirits acknowledge that Simon's summation contains a kernel of truth, but they insist that life had good points.
At the end of the scene, George comes to mourn Emily's death. Apparently he is immobilized by deep grief. Still, as much as Emily loved her husband in life, she has changed since her death. Dispassionately, she looks at him without sharing his grief and comments: "They don't understand " Emily comprehends fully a fact that George has yet to learn — that death frees the living from their earthly troubles and conflicts.
The final appearance of the Stage Manager reminds the audience that the cycle is complete. In passing, he mentions how the residents of this little star that is the world strain to achieve their potential. Pointedly, he winds his watch, thereby breaking the spell and realigning the audience with the normal passage of time. Yet his final remark again allies the viewers with the citizens of Grover's Corners, each of whom needs a "good rest " The simplicity of his departure is in keeping with his overall purpose — to guide the audience through an unassuming but profoundly moving consideration of what it means to be alive.
