An excerpt from THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL:
Early in the play, Dodge, a homeless girl of 12, is met by James, a well-off teenager who has run away from home. James is trying to get a rise out of Dodge, who would rather this kid just go away. She tries to ignore him.
JAMES: James. (Beat) That"s my name. (Beat) James. (Beat) James. (Beat) I"m gonna keep saying it until you tell me yours. (Beat) James.
DODGE: Dodge! Dodge! All right! My name is Dodge! Jeez! Did you run away from home or did they beg you to leave!
JAMES: What kind of a name is Dodge?
DODGE: It"s the kind of name a person gives to herself. It"s the name I want. It"s who I am. Nobody gave it to me. It is my name.
JAMES: What does it mean?
DODGE: (Beat) It"s from a book. You ever read a book?
JAMES: Not all the way through, yet. But I know I will sometime.
DODGE: (Beat) Well, when you get around to reading one all the way through, try "Oliver Twist." I named myself after a character in "Oliver Twist."
JAMES: Wait a minute! I think we rented this movie once. Last Christmas!
DODGE: Oh, God...
JAMES: Except it was just "Oliver," and there was a whole lot of singing in it. Yeah! "Dodger!" You named yourself after "Dodger." I think his first name was Arthur.
DODGE: What?
JAMES: Arthur Dodger, I think they called him.
DODGE: You know, I pick up a newspaper every once in a while and I read about the shocking state of the American system of education. Up until now, I always thought the papers were exaggerating the problem.
JAMES: So you see yourself like that kid, huh? That Dodger? Do you pick pockets? You steal from people?
DODGE: (Instantly, with conviction) No! I do not steal from people!
JAMES: Okay! Okay! I just thought...since you named yourself after that kid...
DODGE: I borrow from people. Not that I need to explain my lifestyle to you, but I borrow from people. And when I borrow from people, I make note of the people I"m borrowing from. Sometime, in the very near future, I intend to repay these people. Do I make myself clear?