mr birling

• capitalist views - foil to the inspector (represents 1912 older generation)
• hubris - wealth and business
• 'hard-headed businness man'
• construct for capitalism, dramatic irony
• static nature
• capitalism

  'lower costs, higher prices'
• capitalism

  'like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense'
• capitalism

  'interests of capital are properly protected'
• exploitation

  'my duty to keep labour costs down'
• wealth

  'i'd give her thousands - yes thousands'
• wealth

  'we play golf together'
• class

  'brought us together' (engagement)
• class 


  'lord mayor two years ago'
• gender


  'she'll make you happy' (sheila)
• gender

  'clothes ... token of self respect'
• gender

  'dragged into this unpleasant business' (sheila)
• social responsibility

  'a man has to look after himself and his family too'
• social responsibility


  'nothing whatever to do with the wretched girl's suicide'
• arrogance


  'people say that war is inevitable ... i say fiddlesticks'
• arrogance


  'unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable'
• arrogance


  'time of steadily increasing prosperity'
• self-absorbed


  'happiest nights of my life'
• self-absorbed


  'warn you that the chief constable is a friend of mine'