Themes

• social responsibility

  Priestley wanted his audience to be responsible for their own behaviour and responsible for the welfare of others
• age

  Priestley uses it to show how he believed that there was hope in the younger generation's ability to learn and change.
• gender

  Priestley shows how ​male dominance and male solidarity isolated and ignored women
• class

  At the beginning of the play, Priestley outlines the ​ values of the upper classes. We learn how they believe themselves to be superior, and view the lower classes as criminals. By the time the Inspector leaves, these values have all been ​challenged.
• responsibility, guilt, abuse of power

  All the birling family represent these.