Mr. Behrman’s speech is written in a stylized dialect that imitates the sound of his Eastern European accent. When Sue tells him that Johnsy fears she will die when the last leaf falls outside her window, he replies:
"Is dere people in de world mit der foolishness to die because leafs dey drop off from a confounded vine? I haf not heard of such a thing. No, I will not bose as a model for your fool hermit-dunderhead. Vy do you allow dot silly pusiness to come in der prain of her? Ach, dot poor lettle Miss Johnsy."
This stylistic tool serves two immediate ends beyond depicting how Mr. Behrman might sound to a native English speaker. First, it emphasizes his foreign origin, which in turn buoys O. Henry's depiction of Greenwich as a cultural melting pot. Throughout the story, O. Henry portrays Greenwich Village as an eclectic collection of people from other parts of the world, living in New York to pursue their artistic dreams. Whether it is Johnsy, coming from California, Sue, from Maine, or Behrman, from another continent, the neighborhood is full of transplants; this is part of why community is such a central theme in the story at large. With no one else to rely upon, their families and connections left behind in another state or country, the bonds of friendship become all the more important to our characters.
But Behrman's accent also works to reinforce his status as an outsider, even within Greenwich Village. His accent marks him as different in the context of the story; he is the only character who speaks with an accent, despite the cosmopolitan setting. As a practicing artist, Behrman is on the fringes of his profession; he has been working for 40 years without recognition. This sense of isolation is also reflected in his death: when the janitor finds him in his apartment, he is alone, uncared for, and “helpless with pain."
