Gwendolen. let us preserve a dignified silence. cecily. certainly. it's the only thing to do now. [enter jack followed by algernon. they whistle some dreadful popular air from a british opera.] gwendolen. this dignified silence seems to produce an unpleasant effect. cecily. a most distasteful one. gwendolen. but we will not be the first to speak. cecily. certainly not. gwendolen. mr. worthing, i have something very particular to ask you. much depends on your reply. wilde uses the exchange between gwendolen and cecily to praise the strict social codes of victorian society. show the superiority of women in victorian society. mock the formal courtship rules of victorian society. explain the importance of romance in victorian society.