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The stage set immediately indicates both the class and the religion of the occupants.

A tenement is a cramped enclosed space - two rooms for four people in this case - so the family are obviously poor.

The audience sees "a small bed partly concealed by cretonne hangings strung on a twine" in the same room as the dining table and the bath.

These claustrophobic surroundings become a symbol for the conditions many people in Dublin lived in at this time.

The "picture of the Virgin" above a "crimson bowl in which a floating votive light is burning" tell us they are Catholics.

We see therefore that a stage set can suggest a lot to an audience, and it is important to think carefully about why a playwright makes these choices.

In considering these choices, note the stage set at the beginning of Act II. This is after the family have been informed of - although not received - their inheritance. This set contrasts with the empty stage at the end of the play.