In this short scene, we are introduced to Mr. Greene and his assistant, Mr. Jarndyce. The two men are discussing the recent developments in the world of business and the increasing number of parties that have been held in the past few years. Mr. Darnay, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, has been invited to a dinner party that will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D. C., on the evening of the dinner party. The men are concerned that the dinner will be a gathering of "unprincipled people" who are gathering to "earn goodwill" from each other, and that the gathering will be an opportunity for the men to "complete the mission." They decide to go to the dinner.