 Compounding his situation is the realization that the unbridled violence practiced by the students may be the result of demonic possession.At the beginning of the play, Joe Dobbs is speaking to McArdle, one of his students, who was caught calling Jerome Malley in the middle of the night and who is trying to get Dobbs to intervene on his behalf.Dobbs makes no promises to McArdle and the latter heads to the headmaster for a meeting.