At first glance, the scene may appear surreal—a quiet domestic standoff between two men and a mouse. But The Adjournment is, in fact, about the quiet, often absurd moral negotiations of daily life. The men, seated at a table in silent deliberation, embody a familiar tension: the slow, grinding weight of decision-making.

One appears fatigued, leaning away from the moment; the other is still alert, gazing intently at the tiny intruder. A pair of dogs flank the scene, one three-legged—a subtle signal of compassion, of past choices made with care.

The mouse, insignificant yet consequential, becomes a stand-in for every difficult choice we delay. Kill it and be done, or spare it and shift the burden elsewhere? For now, mercy wins—but the question hangs in the air, and the quiet tribunal may reconvene tomorrow.

Death is not a rehearsal. Death is final.
But today, the verdict is postponed.