Lies and Deceit

Double identities seem to be common throughout Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest. Jack's neighbors and relatives believe that he is a character of good morals. However, despite what may be on the surface, Jack has been living a lie. "... in order to get up to town [he has] always pretended to have a younger brother of the name Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes." (83) Jack believes that his job as a guardian is incredibly monotonous and boring, so as a result, he created his "younger brother" Ernest. In this passage, Jack reveals the reason behind his life of lies to Algernon. With Ernest, he can escape his dull life and move into a more fascinating and social world.