Willy tells his brother "the funeral will be massive! They will come from Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire! Rode Island, New York, New Jersey- I am known, Ben, and he"ll see it with his eyes once and for all. He"ll see what I am Ben! He's in for a shock, that boy!" (Miller 1515) This was a foreshadow of what Willy's life would come to. Willy questions of his brother, "Does it take more guts to stand here the rest of my life ringing up a zero?" (Miller 1515). He would commit suicide in order to provide his family with some money to make something of the Loman name. .
The second American shortcoming successfully exposed by Miller was the economical shortcoming. At the end of World War II in 1945, the United States began a time of unique prosperity due to the increase of industrial production after the war. The average Americans had the money to purchase the goods they wanted. Americans began to feel secure in this time of prosperity and they began to purchase products with credit. However, the prices of these products increased to due the overwhelming demand, but Americans continued to purchase them using credit since they could not afford them otherwise. Americans began purchasing things on credit such as automobiles and they also paid their mortgages with credit. Willy Loman got caught up in the use of credit and struggled to keep up his payments while also providing for his family. The Loman's had no money to spare because they were trying to keep up with the mortgage payments and they also had to pay repair bills for their appliances and automobile. "Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it's broken! I"m always in a race with the junkyard! I just finished paying for the car and it's on its last legs" (Miller 1488). On top of the bills that Willy Loman had to pay, his boss reduced him to a paycheck strictly on commission.