The scene is set up so that Crazy Charlie is portrayed as being in a mental institution. It's dinner time, and before he can ask for anyone to pass the meat, someone calls out 37, and the room bursts into laughter. Moments later, 57 is called out, and more laughter results. Crazy Charlie asks the guy next to him what is going on. He is told that everyone knows each other's jokes so well that they have numbered the jokes.
After a while, Charlie decides to give it a trial and call 52, but no one laughs; there is complete silence. Charlie asks his friend what is wrong. His friend tells him not to worry that there isn't anything wrong, some people can tell jokes, and some people can't.