Why does Elizabeth Taylor get so sad when Richard Burton tells her that their fictitious son is dead? If he doesn't really exist, why is she so sad.
I have a different take. Their son was real, and really died. In a car accident in which George and Martha lived, where George was driving and they were both very drunk with their child in the car. The illusion they live is pretending he is still alive so they don't have to face the sadness of his death. When she cries at the end, it's because now she has to face it.
And why does George Segal say, "I think I understand." What is it that he understands and how does he figure this out?
I am going way out there on this one, but Nick and Honey are creations of George and Martha. Nick and Honey are the way George and Martha imagine or wish they can relate to one another, but don't because they have agreed to a fantasy world where their son is still alive. So they use Nick and Martha as constructs that represent some kind of real communication they don't have due to the illusion they have agreed to live in. So Nick and Honey are parts of George and Martha's personalities and when George says he understands, it's like those parts of George and Martha understand that the illusion is ending. Once George ends the game, and he and Martha must begin to deal with their sons death, Nick and Honey leave as they are no longer needed.
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