What do the stocking represent in Death of a Salesman?

on a basic level, the stocking represent willy's guilt, he has little money but when he has a time slip with the woman (his affair) it is shown that willy gives away stockings to her. then in earlier scenes when linda is fixing her own stockings, willy feels the guilt and asks her to stop as he can give away stocking to a mistress but cannot afford stockings for his faithful wife