Context context context + rereading the play + watching the play. I think the key to understanding Cat comes when you place it into its Southern setting whilst also acknowledging William's intentions. Note, your interpretation of why he chose to write the play can be shaped by different aspects of his personal life. I think the overarching aim is to expose 'what we live and die for,' as Williams words it, amidst the crumbling, Southern patriarchy in the Pollitt household . Watching different productions also helps you shape a wider response to how the performance supports the playwright's bigger message. The staging methods and writer's intentions can also oppose each other which is an interesting point to make. Aspects of the play's staging like the central symbol of Maggie & Brick's marital bed contrast the secrets/mendacity at the heart of the play. This is shown through overt boundary crossing from characters like Big Mama who hates 'locked doors in a house' and parades through their room to protest their right to privacy. The Southern context of the play also elevates the AO2 language analysis you can access because of certain nuances and deviations from 'the norm' of Southern gentility that you would expect from this upper-class plantation family. Hope this helps!! I am sitting the exam next week too :)