Quotes + analysis

• 'She turns Mickey around and points out Edward and Linda .' - Mrs Lyons is trying to come between Mickey and Edward to protect her secret but unintentionally causes their death.'
• ' Mickey appears from the stalls, a gun held two-handed to steady his shaking hands . ' : Like Sammy, Mickey has resorted to violence to solve his problems. The 'shaking' hands implies that he doesn't really want to do this.'
• 'Just one thing I had left - Linda - an' I wanted to keep her .' - Mickey acknowledges that he has lost many things in his life and realises that he will lose Linda to if he doesn't make the effort to change. He has therefore 'stopped taking the pills.''
• ' I don't know what she told you but Linda and I are just friends .' - he still protects Mickey's feelings and relationship, despite their broken friendship.
• ' Does my child belong to you as well as everything else? ' - He has always been jealous of Edward's privilege. The only thing he had was his family and now he doubts that.
• ' I thought I was gonna shoot y'. But I can't even do that. I don't even know if the thing's loaded . ' - Mickey is not really a violent person and isn't capable of murder.
• ' Don't shoot Eddie! He's your brother. You had a twin brother. I couldn't afford to keep both of you .' - She finally reveals the truth, hoping it will save Edward.'
• ' Why didn't you give me away! [...] I could've been him !' - Overcome with rage and jealousy, he accidentally kills Edward.
• 'And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class ?' Despite the superstition coming true , the narrator suggests that the class system and its inequality is responsible for this tragedy .