Glass Minagerie 1

"House, house! Who pays rent on it, who makes a slave of himself to—" (3.17, Tom).

Tom doesn't feel at home at his own house throughout the play, and it quickly becomes a major conflict. Tom has wasted his childhood in order to support his mother and sister, and gets no thanks for his sacrifices. He is enslaved to his mother. Tom is at an age of exploration, but his mother has cut his dreams down. This scene foreshadows Tom's departure. We can assume arguments like this one happened frequently.  Tom wanted to spread his wings and fly, but his home cut his wings right off. It's interesting to see how long it took him to leave though, as if he felt indebted to his family.