The Zoo Story by Edward Albee. Short summary

5 seconds

Peter was sitting on a park bench reading. Jerry came up to him. He had been to the zoo and it would soon be in the papers. Jerry promises to talk about it if Peter talks about himself.

1 minute

In Central Park, Peter was sitting on a bench reading. Jerry approaches him and the men begin to chat. Peter answers briefly, as he doesn’t want to make conversation, but wants to get back to reading. Then the hero looks pointedly at his companion to get his attention. Peter looks up, whereupon Jerry offers to talk and the man agrees.

Jerry has been to the zoo recently. Soon it will be in the papers and on television. He promises to tell about the incident if Peter tells him about himself. He rarely gets to talk to people, and today he wanted to talk to a decent person.

Jerry first interrogates Peter about his life, then tells him about his own in detail. He was a transient in a nasty little room on the West Side. Many neighbors lived next door to him.

Peter wants to know what happened at the zoo. Jerry says he will first show him how the animals behave and begins to push his companion around. Then he insults Peter and he threatens to call the police.