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Dylan Zuver
Professor Olivas
English 201
2 October 2016
The Odd Couple Make a Great Couple

The Odd Couple by Neil Simon pairs two people with completely different habits together
in one apartment, that takes place over the course of three weeks. Felix Ungar and Oscar
Madison are basically complete wrecks at the time the audience is first introduced to them,
however as the play progresses many situations arise that mold the two into stronger characters,
and proves that its beneficial they became roommates. The main point of this essay is to argue
that the roommate situation was beneficial for both Felix and Oscar. There are multiple different
reasons why their roommate situation is nothing but beneficial, whether it be from the realization
of ones responsibilities to the creation of self-worth, both Felix and Oscar have become better
people thanks to each-other.
In Oscars case, he is not as carefree as he once was in the beginning of the play, for
example Oscar actually cares for his apartment and its guests. At the beginning of the story, the
audience is introduced to Oscars apartment which is described on page seven as a place that has
the same garbage from last weeks game, as well as offering his fellow poker players Brown
sandwiches and green sandwiches, on page nine. There is a drastic change at the end of the play
on page ninety when Oscar exclaims, Then lets play poker. And watch your cigarettes, will
you? This is my house, not a pig sty. The differences between these quotes is that the first was
described before Felix moved in, the second was uttered after Felixs time in the apartment was
over. Oscar obviously didnt have a care in the world when it came to his apartment, because he

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was allowing such a big mess to accrue in his apartment. Another piece of information that
makes this obvious is when we are informed on page nine, Oscar opens a can of beer, which
sprays in a geyser over all players and table. There is a hubbub as they all yell at Oscar. He hands
Roy the over-flowing can, and pushes the puddle of beer under the chair. He had no intentions
on cleaning the messes he made, which would result in them snowballing into an even bigger
mess. This had negative consequences when it came to his friends as they did not appreciate the
dingy conditions they were subject to. With Felix as a roommate, Oscar was influenced by him to
not be as much of a mess maker as usual, this affected him in the long run by having him prevent
the mess from occurring in the first place as described on page 90. After Felix left, Oscar made it
a point to keep his apartment clean, knowing that Felix wasnt going to be there to clean
anymore. Speaking of Oscar knowing Felix wasnt going to be there to clean anymore, this is
where the next counterargument comes in. It is possible to assert that the only reason why Oscar
attempts to not make messes is because he knows that Felix wont be there to clean them
anymore. This can be disproven by the fact Oscar realizes that he is a grown man and must take
care of himself and his property, this again ties in with the fact he is preventing further mess to
gather by collecting the ashes in the ashtray. This proves the roommate situation was beneficial
because with this new found respect for his apartment he has improved his character and
cleaning habits. These new habits will be much appreciated by guests who come to Oscars
home, as well as himself by not having to come home to a sloppy dwelling every day. In
reference to the new habits that Oscar has acquired, he has also gained a sense of responsibility
through his time living with Felix.

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Oscar has definitely become more responsible since the time that Felix had moved in and
out of his apartment. The reason behind this assertion is because Oscar took initiative to make his
child support payments. The audience can establish this by reading Oscars lines on page eightynine, in which he states, I got a pretty good idea why youre calling. You got my checks, right?
This is a giant step-up from the man that used to gamble money he didnt have, which he clearly
states on page thirteen, Eight hundred dollars behind in alimony so lets up the stakes. This is
all thanks to Felix who forces Oscar to save money by saying on page 37, Two meals a day at
home, well save a fortune. Weve got to pay alimony, you know. With this Oscar is able to
realize the importance of saving money to pay the child support he owes. This is part of being a
responsible adult and thanks to Felix, Oscar has grown as a person through his interactions with
Felix as a roommate. A counterargument of this is that the only reason Oscar choses to pay his
alimony is to avoid jail time. The obvious rebuttal to this ties in with the second paragraph, in
which, Oscar realizes that it is his responsibility as an adult and father to support his family.
Speaking of Felix, he is not forgotten in this argument, for he has learned benefited a great
amount thanks to living with Oscar.
A major thing that Felix gained from having Oscar as a roommate is that he isnt as much
of a pushover and self-loathing as he was before he moved in with Oscar. This claim can be
backed up by quoting Felix in the first and last scenes of the play. The first quote from scene one
on page thirty-six, I cant stand it, Oscar. I hate me. Oh, boy, do I hate me. He is extremely
unsure of himself and not able to see the good qualities in himself. There is an incredible
difference in Felixs personality at the end of the play that is really established when Felix erupts
at Oscar on page seventy-eight, when he states, All right, Oscar, get off my back. Get off! Off!

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Felix establishes his feelings and is assertive in telling Oscar hes had enough in this
quote. There could be a consensus among those who believe that the relationship is toxic because
Felix has become aggressive and not as friendly as he once was. The rebuttal for this is quite
simple, Felix had no spine before he moved in with Oscar, he was quick to admit defeat and how
awful he was. After living with Oscar, Felix knows how to stand up for himself and in all
honesty, with the way he is now, Felix could be the rock that his family needs. For these reasons,
Felix has also benefited from his time living with Oscar and vice versa.
Another counterargument that opposes the view of the roommate situation being
beneficial is, if they really benefited from their roommate situation, why did they argue to the
point of Felix having to move out? The reason is that all healthy relationships have arguments,
whether theyre small or large. These arguments are how people come to resolutions over long
standing disagreements and how they see eye to eye with each other. Another key point to
remember is that they make up at the end of the play, resolving to play poker next week like
always. Felix is also an independent man and more than capable of taking care of himself at the
end of the play.
The benefits of their time living together greatly affect their characters by making them
better versions of their old selves. Oscar for example has become more diligent in the care of his
apartment and more responsible in terms of making his child support payments. Felix has
benefited by being able to stand up for himself and having self-confidence in his self-worth. The
Felix in the end of the play has the ability to stand up for himself in situations that the old Felix
wouldve crumbled in, while Oscar can be more diligent to details he wouldnt have noticed or
cared about in the past.