The play The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, has as main focus the hypocresy, arrogance and pretension of the aristocrats compared to the humility and less pretentious life of the lower class.
Oscar Wilde plays with the meaning of the word "earnest" (honest) and the name "Ernest". This wordplay is both witty and funny and it is helpful in establishing the play as a comedy of manner. This first part perfectly illustrates the behaviour of the upper class in Victorian times.