The Monster Under the Bed
Explanation
The Joke
A child tells his father there's a monster under his bed. Instead of comforting the child or dismissing the fear, the father aggressively confronts the monster, threatening to call the cops. The monster turns out to be a down-on-his-luck creature who is essentially homeless -- he doesn't want trouble, he's just looking for a place to sleep. The father shows him no sympathy ("Not my problem -- get up off our stuff!"), shows the monster the police station phone number, and threatens to call the cops. As the monster leaves, the father mutters "Damn freeloaders. Not a damn hotel." The child's nightlight alien figure says "Not for us. Not for you!" The father then proudly tells his son, "Have a middle class night, son."
The Humor
The comedy works on multiple levels. First, there's the subversion of the classic childhood fear: the monster under the bed isn't scary at all -- it's a pathetic, homeless creature just trying to find shelter. Second, and more pointedly, the father's reaction satirizes a certain middle-class attitude toward homelessness and poverty. Rather than showing any compassion, he treats the monster exactly like someone angrily confronting a homeless person sleeping in a doorway -- threatening police, calling them "freeloaders," and being indignant about his property. The final line, "Have a middle class night, son," perfectly crystallizes the satire: the father is teaching his child that this callous, territorial attitude is a normal and valued part of middle-class life. The comic suggests that the real "monster" may be the lack of empathy being passed down from parent to child.