George S. Kaufman uses understatement in the play by having the characters downplay the seriousness of the situation. One of the first uses of understatement in the play is when the bellboy says in a very calm manner, “The hotel is on fire, sir.” Bob’s reaction to this statement is “Well—is it bad?” In reality, a bellboy would not tell hotel guests about a fire so calmly, and the guests would not waste time by asking how bad the fire is. As the fire spreads, Bob remarks, “Yes, that is pretty bad.” The bellboy later says to Ed, “The lower part of the hotel is about gone, sir.” These understatements show how unconcerned the characters are about the fire, parodying British manners with the ridiculousness of the situation.
