Tennessee Williams expressed in A Streetcar Named Desire aspects of his own psychic conflict that erupted after he reached sudden success with the play's predecessor The Glass Menagerie. Interpretations are suggested about those psychic conflicts and their emotional and behavioral manifestations through an analysis of both the play and the author's life history. In particular, the playwright's childhood experiences within a troubled family, his painful relationships with a rejecting, abusive father and an unhappy, controlling mother, and his helpless witnessing of the suffering inflicted upon his beloved sister are linked to the contrasting themes, characters, and action in both dramas.