Similar developments are found in the decaying industrial and mining
centers of Europe, where the closure of coal mines and steel mills leads to
the economic and social decline· of whole regions. As in the case of Willy
Loman in Arthur Miller's play, these communities often feel that they
have been used and sucked dry and are now being thrown away because
they are no longer needed. The feelings of resentment and exploitation are
particularly severe when the plants or mines being closed are profitable
but not profitable enough from a corporate standpoint.