Eric

• At the beginning of the play, Priestly uses stage directions to present Eric as 'half shy, half assertive'
• 'Shy' connotes nervousness and lack of confidence, while 'assertive' implies confidence and dominance
• Priestley wants the audience to view Eric negatively to show that the capitalist patriarchal society is not trustworthy
• Priestley repeats the word 'half' to emphasise that Eric's character is not yet fully formed, indicating that he might change
• Priestley associates Eric with alcohol when Sheila accuses him of being 'squiffy', indicating the siblings' fashionable adaptation to language
• Eric's free use of alcohol signifies the double standard in society for men and women
• Eric admits to being 'in that state when a chap easily turns nasty' due to alcohol, showing his lack of responsibility for his actions
• Eric refers to himself in the third person with the phrase 'a chap' to distance himself from the implied rape and avoid responsibility
• Eric's perspective about Eva suggests she was living a life on the brink of prostitution, without explicit mention of prostitution in the play
• Eric takes responsibility and admits his guilt, showing distress through short sentences and a lack of detail
• Eric admits he cannot go to his father when in trouble, positioning himself as a victim and avoiding responsibility
• Eric's immaturity is shown by his short-term solutions and lack of understanding of the long-term consequences of his actions
• Eric, like Sheila, learns the lesson of collective social responsibility by the end of the play
• Eric insists 'We did her in all right', using 'we' to emphasize collective responsibility for Eva's death
• Eric accepts his role in Eva's downfall, prioritizing the inspector's socialist message of collective responsibility over the inspector's identity
• Throughout the play, Priestley presents Eric as an immature young man with a drinking problem, an exploiter of Eva, and a thief
• As Eric matures and accepts responsibility, he becomes receptive to the inspector's message that 'We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other'