The Bonfire of the Vanities

Peter Fallow, a British expatriate, is suffering a terrible hangover from a night of excessive partying at the Leicester, the local hangout for British visitors. Fallow has recently joined The City Light, a New York tabloid run by Sir Gerald Steiner, a British financier. Fallow thinks of Steiner as the “Dead Mouse.” Steiner has no background in the media but still decided to launch a tabloid in America. Fallow accepted the job as he wanted to make money in America, but despite having been in New York for weeks, Fallow has not yet broken a juicy story. Steiner calls Fallow to his office and chides him for his poor work performance. Meanwhile, Sherman’s work performance has suffered as he cannot stop worrying about the Bronx incident.

At Herbert 92X’s trial, his lawyer, Teskowitz, argues that the defendant and his truck were abducted by a group of criminals. Herbert 92X was tied up, and he shot his gun accidentally. Since Herbert 92X is a family man forced into a bad situation, Teskowitz asks the jury to give him a not-guilty verdict. Kramer argues that the man killed by Herbert 92X was also a father and husband and deserves justice.