Scene three takes place the following Saturday, which the day that the Youngers are moving to their new house. Ruth is in a wonderful mood, looking forward to taking a long hot bath and telling Beneatha about how she and Walter went to the movies last night. Their lives really seem to be improving. Walter enters and puts on a record that he begins to dance to with his wife. All of a sudden, they notice a quiet, middle-aged white man standing at the door. He wants to talk to Lena Younger, but Mama isn't home.

     The man introduces himself as Karl Lindner from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. Walter politely introduces his family and offers him coffee. Mr. Lindner tries to explain to them that he wants to make sure that people understand each other. Beneatha seems to sense what is coming, but Walter seems willing to listen. He explains that his community is full of hard working people, who aren't racist, but who feel that Negroes would be happier in a community of their own people. Mr. Lindner makes them an offer to buy the house back from them at a financial gain to the family. At this point Walter becomes mad and orders Mr. Lindner to leave. He exits surprised by Walter's reaction, and then Mama returns.

     Mama verifies that the moving men are scheduled to come at four o'clock and asks about the man who just left. The children laugh and tell her it was the welcoming committee coming to say how excited they are to have a black family moving in to their neighborhood. Then they admit that he left a card in case they change their mind about moving in. Mama proceeds to wrap up a plant she wants to bring to the new house. Even though it's old and raggedy, Mama thinks it expresses her. Then the children decide to give Mama the gift that they bought for her; it's gardening tools. Travis presents her with his own gift, which is a large gardening hat.

     When they hear a knock at the door, Walter hesitates to answer it as though he knows who's there. Bobo comes in, and Walter asks where Willy is. Walter senses that something is wrong and asks Bobo what happened in Springfield. Willy and Bobo were supposed to take the money down to Springfield and use some to bribe people to speed up their application for a liquor license; however, Bobo never went to Springfield because Willy didn't show up at the train station. Bobo waited six hours, but Willy didn't come. Walter starts screaming about how that money was made from his father's flesh. Mama asks him how much he lost, and Walter admits that he gave Willy the entire sixty-five hundred dollars. He never put any money in the bank for Beneatha's schooling. Mama hits Walter until the women pull her off. She can't believe what Walter has done.