Fahrenheit 451 Mrs. Phelps/Mrs. Bowles
by Ray Bradbury

Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles are friends of Mildred's. They further demonstrate the ills of society whose symptoms are first seen in Mildred's actions. They provide examples such as being constantly remarried to men who kill themselves, and having children who hate them. They are just as addicted to thoughtless entertainment as Mildred is, and just as unhappy (despite their constant, shrieking laughter and silly dialogue). Montag, in anger, reads poetry to them, which they find greatly disturbing. Afterward, they report Montag to Captain Beatty. Their existence in the novel highlights that Mildred's problems are not an anomaly unique to her.