In the sequence leading up to the end of act 1, quite a lot happens. First Linda breaks down to Biff and Happy, and informs them that Willy has been attempting to kill himself through car crashes and a small length of rubber pipe attached to the heater. This is evidently shocking for the audience as so far in the play, the problems haven't really risen to the surface, whereas now the characters are openly discussing them. For example this also tells us a lot about Willy, as initially you would think he was so wrapped up in his own imagination that he's happy, however he obviously does achknowledge his failures as he is attempting suicide (although he's even been failing at this!).
There are then more hints about what has happened between Biff and Willy, for example Biff says "I know he's a fake and he don't like anybody around who knows!".Willy then re-enters and Biff fights with him again over him being too harsh on Linda. Biff and Happy talk enthusiastically about starting a sporting business, and Biff is planning on going to see Bill Oliver (a previous employer) to try and get some money together. Willy then joins them and seems alive at the thought of his sons doing well in business, he describes their idea as "Million dollar". Linda however has her doubts, saying "I'm just wondering if Oliver will remember him". Linda also then asks Willy why him and Biff don't see eye to eye and he just ignores her, so this is another hint that something big and secretive went on in the past as both Biff and Willy don't seem to want to be the one to say anything, and they certainly haven't adressed the problem to each other so far. So as we are left with this, the audience's suspense builds and it sets them up for act 2 in which we find out why Biff and Willy had such a big falling out. Linda also asks Willy if he will go and talk to Howard in the morning to try and sort his work issues out.
The final thing the audience sees and hears in act 1 is Willy reminiscing of when Biff was a teenager, descibing him as "Like a young god. Hercules-something like that" . So again this keeps the audience's attention on the relationship between Biff and Willy as act 1 comes to an end. Willy then says "everything'll be alright" and as he says this, we see Biff come onto the stage and sneak the little piece of rubber piping from behind the heater upstairs. I think this is a good, strong visual ending to act 1, and I think the audience perhaps joins in with the false enthusiasm that the characters are adopting. For example, Biff has removed the pipe so Willy can't use it to kill himself, and both Biff and Willy seem determind in their own way to make things right. However Willy's comment of "Everything'll be alright" is too good to be true and I think the audience feels this. As usual Willy has got over excited about something and we wonder if he and all the other characters will come crashing back to reality in act 2.
The end of act 1 sets up the rest of the play nicely. Biff promises to stay and go and see Bill Oliver to ask for money to start a business with Happy and Willy talks of going to see Howard. I think the audience knows at this point that a lot depends on the outcome of these events, and this builds the anticipation nicely for act 2. The audience also hopes that they will find out what happened between Biff and Willy. The fact that the last thing they see is Biff taking away the piping builds the tension between Biff and Willy. I think it also highlights aspects of Biff's character, he is honest and more realistic than the rest if his family, for example as Biff is realistic he takes a sensible approach to the knowledge that his father is attempting suicide, he removes his means of doing so. Which I think is the realistic approach, rather than to worry about "insulting" Willy's pride like Linda does. This also potentially creates an opportunity for confrontation between Biff and Willy, in which Willy would have to confront his suicide attempts in front of his family and perhaps reveal the secret behind his ongoing feud with his son.
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