What is the meaning of the following example, especially regarding would?: BURNS: "I’d even go to an employee’s house."These are my guesses at...

The meanings of modal verbs
would and
could are not equivalent.
Would indicates willingness while
could indicates ability: "I am willing
to go because I like employees (would)" versus "I am able to go
because employees' houses have access ramps for my wheelchair
(could)." There is a politeness factor that enters into the use of
modals, but politeness is a feature of modal use that is different and separate from
meaning. The same is true for probability and possibility; these are features that are
different and separate from meaning.

To give an
illustration of these distinctions: Politeness might
correspond to how you're dressed; probability/possibility might correspond to the room
you are standing in; while meaning corresponds to what you mean by what you say while
you are dressed as you are and standing in a given
room.

When Burns says, "I would even go to an employee's
house," he is indicating, firstly, with
would, that he is willing to go. He is
indicating, secondly, with even, that
going to an employee's house represents an extreme action. The adverb href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/even">even
has one meaning, out of many, that is explained as "used to suggest that something
mentioned as a possibility constitutes an extreme case or an unlikely
instance."

When
would (willingness) is put together
with even (extremity), a good
paraphrase of the sentence is, "I am willing to take the extreme measure of going to an
employee's house." You must not try to paraphrase the modal
would by substituting the modal
could because, though they share some
features, they have different and separate meanings.