NICK: But they’re communist.

LEWIS: That’s half the joke.

NICK: Half the joke? A bit of a kick in the face of a poor nation struggling to feed its people, isn’t it? Here we are, supporting the Viet Cong and you’re laughing at their supporters, the Albanians.

ROY: Jerry, do whatever Nick says.

LEWIS: Hang on, Roy.

HENRY, who has become progressively agitated, thumps the piano. Anger repairs most of his stutter.

HENRY: [pointing to NICK] You sssssupport the cccommunists?

NICK: Yes.

HENRY: In Vietnam?

NICK: Sure.

HENRY: You give money to North Vietnam?

NICK: For medical supplies.

HENRY: To the enemy?

NICK: Yeah.

HENRY: [banging his chair on the floor] Traitors! Traitors! Traitors!

NICK: [to LEWIS] You’d better get some nurses.

But it is too late. HENRY rushes at him and grabs NICK in a bear hug.

Now, hang on here.

HENRY: You’re a traitor.

ROY: Henry, drop him, that’s your director.

NICK: [to LEWIS] Get the nurses!

HENRY does not let go of NICK. He turns to LEWIS.

HENRY: You are a communist too?

LEWIS: No.

HENRY: But you support the Viet Cong against us?

LEWIS: Against American imperialism? Of course.

HENRY throws NICK down, ROY rushes to his aid.

ROY: Are you all right, Nick? Cut his part, that’ll teach him a lesson.

CHERRY: [to RUTH] What’s this about Vietnam?

RUTH: It’s a place somewhere in Asia. There’s a war going on.

CHERRY: You’re always the last to know things in an asylum.

HENRY takes several toy soldiers out of his pocket and puts them on the table and points to them.

ROY: Put them away, Henry. He’s got thousands of them back in his ward. He’s collected toy soldiers for years.

HENRY: My fffffather fought in the war for you. For you and ffffor me. He was a ggggreat man. You are traitors.

LEWIS: Henry, listen—

NICK: Fuck me dead, Lewis, how do you deal with—?

HENRY: Do not swear! I do not work with ttttraitors. Australia is at war against communists and you… you sssstab my father in the back.

NICK: That’s it, I’m not putting up with this right-wing crap.

He goes to leave.

LEWIS: Nick!

NICK: [to LEWIS] Not only are they nuts, but they’re right-wing nuts.

ROY: [to HENRY] If only your family had forced you to do tax law instead of criminal law you wouldn’t be such an emotional mess.

NICK leaves.

Nice one, Henry. Nice one, destroying our chance to create a masterpiece. [Running after NICK] I’ll get him back.

Silence.

LEWIS: Henry, I am not a communist. I do not send money to North Vietnam for medical supplies. Nick does, I do not. I am against this war, but I am not supporting the enemy. We must support any way of getting Australia and America out of this quagmire.

HENRY: You are a traitor. Australian soldiers die, die, and you wave fffffffflags for the Viet Cong.

LEWIS: I don’t want to see Australian soldiers die, do you?

HENRY: Nnnnnno. My ffffffather was a ggggreat soldier. I have all his medals. He was ffffamous!