In Act I of Arthur Miller's Death of Salesman, how might the recent news of Ben's death serve as another inciting incident in the play?

In Arthur Miller's play, Death of a
Salesman, there is a great deal of significance in the fact that Willy's
brother, Ben, is dead.

What the reader may first notice is
that Willy often has conversations with his dead brother. Discussions consist of shared
memories of growing up (insights into Willy's psyche), accomplishments Ben experienced
in life, Willy's overwhelming sense of failure for not having followed his brother's
path, worries over his job, and concerns for the future of his sons—in conversations
that may or may not have taken place in the
past.

As long as Ben was alive, it seems that Willy—whose
grip on reality is shaky at best—could always imagine a better life for
himself. He now feels connected to someone who is willing to listen
to him (unlike his boss who has no time for this "old-timer"). Ben's "listening" also
represents a sense that someone cares for Willy, and that this companion encourages and
understands him. Once again, we cannot be certain if this was the relationship that
really existed in the past, or if this has just come to pass
after his brother's
passing.

Whereas Ben personifies all that is
possible in a man's life, and Willy sees his life as a failure, Ben's presence now
(after he has died) may well provide a sense of foreshadowing for the play's end: how
can we hope for Willy to rise above the burdens of his life when the most functional
relationship he has is with a dead brother?