Romeo and Juliet discuss their love for one another. Romeo says that love can "transcend to form, and dignity" . Juliet replies that love is not based on the eyes, but on the mind. She says that she has always been afraid to offer compassion and selflessness to Romeo, but now that she sees how much she admires him, she is less afraid to do so. Romeo asks Juliet what she is reading, and Juliet says nothing. She tells him that she is listening to the laughter of the peasants, and that sometimes when she takes her dinner, she pretends she has tried to be a good girl. When she enters the room, she hears the laughter and pretends to have tried. The villagers say that Juliet is a funny girl, but she doesnt think they mean that as a compliment. She asks what she would like to do for her mother, who died of the plague. Her father never told her that he cared for her, but he did tell her that they should use their resources to help those affected by the plague