In Act 1 of Death of a Salesman, Willy repeatedly retreats into his visions of an 'idyllic past'. How does Arthur Miller show that this past is not...

One detail from the past that sullies its perfection is
the memory of Biff stealing a football from the school. Biff is the star of the team,
yet he is also developing traits that will later lead him to
trouble. 

Biff's petty theft demonstrates his elevated
sense of self, his feelings of entitlement and false grandeur. These qualities match
those of his father and show the reader that Willy's treatment of Biff is certain to
lead to a destructive arrogance in his son. 

Biff's friend
Bernand recognizes the danger in Biff's theft and attempts to curb Biff's behavior, but
Willy's influence is seen here too as Biff shrugs off Bernards warnings and Willy does
too.

According
to Willy, however, Bernard is the one who will fail at life because he is not
popular...