The Theater
The theater—burned out and neglected—is a symbol for the mentally ill patients and their neglect by society. On a more expansive level, however, the theater can also be a viewed a symbol for the current treatment of mental illness itself: a burned out shell no longer serving its intended purpose in the same fashion as originally designed.
Fire
The fires purposely ignited by Doug become a collective symbol for the power of fire to destroy and from that destructing bring forth something new. Fire is the ignition of destruction, but ultimately fires proves to be the cleanser.
The Rain
Of course, literally speaking, rain is the cleanser. But without the intrusion of Doug’s pyromania, the emotional foundation necessary to see the production through would not have occurred. The falling rain which opens Act II is represents the symbolic clearing away of the obstacles standing in the way of the play having its intended effect upon the emotional state of the patients.
The Blown Fuse
When the flickering fuse box finally blows, its throws the theater into complete darkness. This is a particularly specific symbol as the darkness into which he is thrown—combined with the moment at which it happens—is the entry point for Lewis to finally come to a full understanding of the world of the patients he is vainly seeking to help by putting on the play.
Lewis Turning off the Light
The final act of the play is Lewis shutting off the lights. Coming as it does as the climax of sorts to his final monologue in which the fate of several characters is revealed as something far less than a happily-ever-after is symbolically resonant of the reality that lives often cannot be impacted by others in the positive way one would hope and that they just flicker out without drama.
