Accidental Death of an Anarchist Lesson Plan

Why does the Inspector punch Bertozzo? How does this play into the Maniac's schemes?

Although the reasoning behind the Inspector punching Bertozzo is pretty clearly spelled out in the events in the end of I.1 and beginning of I.2, students may have a bit of trouble tracking what's going on, since the Maniac is continuously creating so much chaos in these scenes. In his phone call with the Inspector, the Maniac—impersonating Bertozzo—insulted the Inspector, which meant that the Inspector ended the phone call angry. In fact, he threatened to punch Bertozzo in the face, which the Maniac warns Bertozzo of when he re-enters the office at the end of Scene 1. The punch in the...