The Prisoner of Second Avenue is the story of Mel and Edna Edison, a typical husband and wife from the 1970s. Mel loses his job and eventually has a mental breakdown due to his feeling useless. Edna then goes back to work to support them, making Mel feel even worse about the entire situation. The play has a happy ending, but the moral of the story is that the pressures of being in the rat race can eventually drive you nuts .