For example, Miller juxtaposes Willy's heartfelt protesting of his love for Linda and his family in the present: 'There's so much I want to make for – 'with Willy's memories of his past affair; the Woman replies: 'Me?' This reminds the audience of the flaws in Willy's character. The gaps in the walls of the set also reflect the gaps in Willy's perception of the world. Throughout the film version, directed by Volker Schlöndorff, the house's walls slowly deteriorate to mirror the breakdown of Willy's mind due to the illusions in both his work and personal life that he has created. Miller also uses stage directions to show how Biff tries to keep Willy in reality and attempts to make him live honestly. For example: "(desperately standing over him) Pop, listen!" The action 'standing over him' shows how Biff unsuccessfully tries to prevent his father from falling further into the illusions he has created. The director of the film version also chose to use bleak colours to represent how a life lived in illusion, like Willy's, can lead to destruction and unhappiness.
In comparison, all of the action in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is played out in Martha and George's house over a short period of time. This creates a sense of claustrophobia as none of the characters can hide from the truth and shows how George and Martha have become trapped in their illusions. Albee never creates an appropriate time for any of the characters to leave and forces them to confront their issues. Mike Nichols chose to place some scenes outside of the house in the film version, but this did not affect the claustrophobic atmosphere as "(Haskell) Wexler found a way to make these places seem, if anything, even more cloistered." For example, the car scene creates a further sense of confinement as none of the characters can escape the situation. Nichols uses black and white in the film adaptation to create a stark realistic atmosphere and enhance the confined surroundings.
