- June Cleaver: [Beaver selling the rat to Violet for $3 prompts an evening visit by Fred Rutherford to the Cleaver household] What's the trouble, Squire?
- Ward Cleaver: Well, it seems that Beaver sold Peter Gunn to Violet Rutherford for $3.00.
- June Cleaver: Well, that sounds like a very good deal!
- Ward Cleaver: Yeah, it was too good a deal. After all, Violet's just a girl. She can't be expected to know the going price of rodents.
- Theodore Cleaver: I sold a 50-cent rat to Violet Rutherford for 3 dollars. Then tonight her father comes to see Dad.
- Wally Cleaver: So?
- Theodore Cleaver: So, I got a funny feeling I'm gonna lose my 3 dollars.
- Wally Cleaver: Yeah. Usually when parents talk with other parents, the kids end up getting the business.
- Ward Cleaver: [Beaver brings home a rat named Peter Gunn] That's a very fine looking rat, Beaver. But, I, uh, I have a feeling that your mother would be a lot happier if you traded him for something else.
- Theodore Cleaver: Gee, Dad! What's Mom got against rats?
- Ward Cleaver: Oh, it's not just your mother, Beaver. It's, uh, well, it's just that women don't seem to have as soft a spot in their hearts for rats as we men do.
- Wally Cleaver: Sure, Beav! You know how it is. They don't like blood or dirt or any of those neat things.
- June Cleaver: [later] Did you talk Beaver into getting rid of that rat?
- Ward Cleaver: Yeah. Yeah, he's going to try and trade him for something else tomorrow.
- June Cleaver: Good. How'd you convince him?
- Ward Cleaver: Oh, I just told him that women were full of strange quirks and it was up to us to humor them.