s drey This shows the game gives them a safe private world where they can forget social and personal struggles Expression of Affection In real life Jimmy and Alison struggle to express love Jimmy s words are often cruel like in Act I when he tells Alison If you could have a child and it would die if only I could watch you face that Such harshness destroys their closeness But in the Bear-Squirrel game Jimmy becomes gentle Here their love comes out in a soft way In the game Act Scene Alison recalls We could become little furry creatures with little furry brains Full of dumb uncomplicated affection for each other Here they can express simple childlike affection that is missing in their daily lives A Temporary Peace The game works like a small peace in their bitter war For a short time Jimmy and Alison stop fighting and become tender They call each other Poor squirrels poor poor bears These words show pity kindness and softness in their relationship But this peace does not last long this peace is temporary Their deeper problems of class difference and emotional pain remain The game only pauses their quarrels but never solves them Symbol of Lost Innocence At the beginning the Bear-Squirrel game is full of love and innocence It gives hope to their troubled marriage But slowly it loses its meaning Later in Act Alison says And now even they are dead poor little silly animals They were all love and no brains This shows that their childish love has died just like their hope and happiness The game becomes a sad reminder of what they lost Reflection of Power Dynamics The game also reflects their roles Jimmy as the bear is stronger and louder Alison as the squirrel is smaller and submissive This mirrors their real relationship where Jimmy dominates Alison submits So even in their escape the power imbalance remains It gives them a moment of peace but it also reminds us of the tragedy of their broken marriage Through this simple game Osborne shows that even angry bitter people secretly long for love and comfort In Conclusion the Bear-Squirrel game is not just childish play It is a symbol of Jimmy and Alison s need for escape love and loss It shows both the tenderness and the tragedy of Jimmy and Alison s broken relationship