of repeating nonsense lines shows the comedy of absurd life The audience laughs at his useless talk while also feeling pity Odd Behaviour Comic effects also come from odd human habits Davies is rude and ungrateful yet he acts important He refuses shoes given by Aston He complains Can t wear shoes that don t it His behaviour is both funny and annoying Aston s habit of bringing home junk objects is also strange Mick s habit of questioning Davies in fast style creates laughter These odd behaviours show comedy in simple human actions They reflect how small habits can turn into comic moments Sharp Dialogue Mick s sharp and playful dialogue creates comic surprise He questions Davies with sudden strange words At one point he says Listen son Listen sonny You stink The words are cruel but they sound comic in sudden attack The speed of his talk confuses Davies and makes the audience laugh The rhythm of questions and answers itself is comic Mick s speech changes mood quickly and this quick change is funny Comedy here comes from the sharp use of language Use of Silence Pinter is famous for his pauses and silence Silence in the play creates unease but also comedy After Davies long useless talk the others stay quiet The gap makes Davies more nervous The audience laughs at his fear of silence Comedy comes when silence speaks more than words Pinter shows that silence itself can be comic Because it makes human weakness visible in a funny way Sudden Violence Violence in the play also creates comic effect Mick suddenly attacks Davies twists his arm and lets him go The scene is cruel but also comic in its surprise Davies helpless cries look funny on stage His attempt to show courage by using a knife also fails He says I got this here I used it I used it Don t come it with me The knife scene is comic because it is useless Violence mixed with failure becomes dark comedy in the play Broken Dreams Comic effects also come from broken dreams Each man has a plan that never works Aston dreams of building a shed Mick dreams of a great home Davies dreams of getting papers from Sidcup But all dreams fail The broken hopes create comic failure Their plans are too small or too big so they look funny Pinter shows the comedy of failure in human life Pinter achieves comic effects in The Caretaker through repetition habits dialogue silence violence and failed dreams The comedy is not simple or light It is mixed with fear anger and pity It makes us laugh at human weakness and emptiness Thus Pinter s comic effects are central to the meaning of this absurd play