This play takes place entirely within a 24-hour period on a railway sleeping car, and revolves around a woman's late night confusion regarding the premature appearance of her husband and brother.

This play is not well-read amongst modern readers, and is often overlooked in literary discussion due to its relative contemporary obscurity.

In order of appearance: This story begins with Mrs. Roberts, her baby son, and her Aunt Mary headed Westbound on the Boston and Albany Railroad.

Mrs. Roberts laments that her life would be a wreck if her husband and brother do not get along nicely, and states "I do hope they're sitting down to a hot supper."

Mrs. Roberts responds apologetically, but starts conversing with this man, inquiring about California, her brother Willis, and if he has ever met his acquaintance.

Part I ends with the Californian and Mrs. Roberts finally going to bed, with only the sounds of Aunt Mary's snoring audible.

The conductor joins the conversation, and finally all decide to wait until morning to search for Mr. Roberts's wife, when all the passengers will be awake.

Obsessed and sincere in her conviction of this thought, she and her husband yet again interrupt the sleep of the Californian, pulling open he curtains and accusing him of being her brother.

Although this evidence should be plenty for Mrs. Roberts to immediately confront this stranger about his identity, she hesitates, and is worried that she will further humiliate herself if this person is not her brother.

Mrs. Roberts fills in her brother on the past antics of the journey in the sleeping car, and upon hearing the description of the Californian, is convinced that he is Tom Goodall, an old acquaintance of his.

As the train is quickly approaching Boston, Mr. Roberts suggests that Aunt Mary be woken up so that she may prepare for arrival.

Aunt Mary is informed that both Edward and Willis have boarded the sleeping car overnight, and meets the acquaintance of the Californian.

The humor in this play lies in this constant mistaken identity, in the neurosis of Mrs. Roberts, in the interjections from the other passengers, and in the heartbreaking inability of the Californian to sleep.

She frequently states "good-night" to Aunt Mary in part I, but always revives the conversation by expressing some sort of worry, insecurity, or anxiety.

Mrs. Roberts expresses initially her worry about how her brother and husband will interact, and needs constant reassurance from her aunt to calm down.

Aunt Mary again alleviates her stress by citing all of the safety measures the railroad has implemented (i.e. the well-managed road, air-brake, and Miller platform).

After this anxiety passes, Mrs. Roberts frets about where the water glass is packed in the luggage, and decides to talk herself through its retrieval.

Effortlessly moving from one point of anxiety to the next, Mrs. Roberts creates a feeling of persistent neurosis for the reader, who must simply laugh at the woeful worry.

This passion for authentic representation certainly did not earn Howells the title of being the most exciting author of his time, and rather added to his reputation for mundane and ordinary tales.

Furthermore, the lack of a narrator in this play means that the reader objectively receives the plot, and is not subject to bias or interpretation of a third party.

Mrs. Roberts's utter confusion about the true identity of these two men perfectly exemplifies Howells's point about the rise of the metropolis creating obfuscation.

In an August 1889 issue[5] of The Atlantic, the author expresses that The Sleeping Car and Howells's other farces have entertained readers, who have in general responded quite positively to it.