Socrates invites his friend Aristodemus--o narrator once ur o join him at the dinner in Agathon's house on this second night of celebration. Aristodemus hesitates; he describes himself as a worthless man (pbaulos, 174c), going unbidden to dine at the home of a wise man. He worries that Socrates will need to make an apologia for bringing such a common man to dine. As it turns out, no apologia is needed for this phawlos to become part of the community that meets at Agathon's house. While Socrates re- mains on a nearby porch in a trance, Aristodemus proceeds to Agathon's house where he finds the door wide open and an un- qualified welcome from the host. No distinction is made between the small, ugly Aristodemus and the beautiful, "wise" Agathon- and from the warmth of the invitation to enter, there is no that this is a "worthless man" entering where he will not be equal to the others Though we do not receive a report of his speech, they are all to participate together in the evening's events. We see in Aristodemus' entrance to the party a variety of is- ues that confront all communities, but especially democracies: