Peanuts are the most common food trigger of life-threatening anaphylactic shock, accounting for more than half of all fatal food-induced allergic reactions.
Nowadays, though, such portrayals are common enough that the play's initial shock effect has been significantly diminished, making its flaws easier to perceive and harder to forgive.
While mobile phone bills that amount to tens of thousands of dollars are certainly the exception, "bill shock" appears to be a relatively common occurrence.