He applies to the University of Michigan, as it offers money prizes for creative writing, particularly in drama. This is a period in which it was said to be easier to join the Communist Party than a fraternity, and though he never did join, he did regard himself as a Marxist, which put him at odds with his father, who had made his money manufacturing women’s cloaks and who struggled to get his business going as customers disappeared. Miller’s plays were successful, and he began to think of himself as a playwright.