(Meet Shah 11.11)
, Key Quotes of the opening
“dining room of a fairly large suburban house” – outside of the city
“a prosperous manufacturer” – making profit, successful businessman
“good solid furniture” – expensive, high quality, ‘solid’ = closeness & strong
“substantial and heavily comfortable but not cosy and homelike”
Provides necessities, high status, but not like a home and not relaxing
“pink and intimate” – love and closeness between the family
“brighter and harder” – serious, uncomfortable, Inspector uncovers the truth
“the parlourmaid, is just clearing the table” Show the wealth and status, power,
richness, want to impress, present the
“decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes” lower class through the parlourmaid
“the men in tails, and white ties, not dinner-jackets” (Edna)
“BIRLING is a heavy-looking, rather portentous man” – show-o
“provincial in his speech” – simple talking
“His wife” (MRS BIRLING) “about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband’s social
superior.” – unwelcoming, disrespectful, higher status
“SHEILA is a pretty girl in her twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited” –
naïve, immature and judged by her looks
“GERALD CROFT … very much the easy well-bred young man”
Rich and wealthy, high status and upper class, had an easy life
“ERIC … not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive.”
This shows a mixed personality that Eric has, unpredictable yet predictable
“a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves”
Priestley’s Intentions in the opening:
Present the upper class, and high status of the Birling family, and the comfort and luxury lifestyle
Show that the Birling family have a lot of money, yet money isn’t happiness, as they aren’t close
Reflect the wealth and privilege they enjoy, contrasting the struggles of the WC, represented by Eva
Smith later on in the play
Introduce and criticise capitalist views and ideas along with the class divide
Expose the complacency and selfishness of the privileged upper class, challenged later by IG
Complacency – sense of self-satisfaction and smugness, unaware of the problems in society
,Meet Shah (11.11)
, Key Quotations - Act 1
“You ought to like this port” , “same port your father gets from him” – eager to impress Gerald and
show o , align himself to Gerald’s higher class and share the lifestyle, as port is a luxury and
sophisticated drink, it highlights the materialism. Mr Birling wants to prove that he is worthy of the
Croft Family’s Respect
Priestley’s Intention: show how the values of the UC are centred around materialistic things including
money, rather than genuine human connections like the WC. Priestley wants to mock the mindset and
how it is shallow and ultimately insignificant in the face of larger social issues, such as inequality and
responsibility for others.
“but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices” – he sees the marriage as a business
opportunity, he pays his employees less and sells products for expensive, capitalist views, present the
profit-driven approach of the UC, “lower costs” hints at the exploitation of labour,
Priestley’s Intention: highlighting and raise awareness of how prioritizing profit leads to su ering of the
WC, set the stage for later conflicts regarding the WC (Eva Smith), advocate for a better business
approach, emphasise the contradiction of lowering costs and raising prices.
“I speak as a hardheaded businessman” , “I say there isn’t a chance of war” , “unsinkable, absolutely
unsinkable” , “peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere” , “We can’t let these Bernard
Shaws and H.G. Wellses do all the talking”
- A good businessman, fixed and closed mindset, selfish
- He is foolish, wrong and ignorant and denies that war, however WW1 & WW2 happen shortly after
- The titanic does sink, therefore he is incorrect, again showing his foolishness
- There isn’t a bit of peace during the wars, also, it shows his naïve and selfish outlook as he is
ignorant of the struggles faced by the WC
- A lot of dramatic irony is used by Priestley to show his overconfidence
- Mr Birling disagrees with Socialism, and feels that Capitalist views are correct
Priestley’s Intention: Perhaps the titanic line is used to foreshadow the moral and social disasters that
will unfold in the play, paralleling the sinking of the Titanic with the downfall of the Birlings' social and
moral integrity. His intention is to show the foolishness and ignorance of Mr Birling and to ridicule the
Capitalism over Socialism views.
“I might find my way into the next Honours List” , “I gather there’s a very good chance of knighthood”
- He mentions this to show his higher status and impress Gerald through social elevation
- Align himself with Gerald’s higher class, as his parents are Sir and Lady
- Show o how he has a high chance of getting a reputed award and title, the knighthood
Priestley’s Intention: Show how the UC care more about social elite and recognition over genuine
moral responsibility, portray his detachment from society due to the social hierarchy, he cares about
personal success over the welfare of others, expose the divide between the privileged class and WC.
Priestley suggests that the pursuit of personal gain and recognition can lead to ethical blind spots.
,“Not just something to wear – and not only something to make ‘em look prettier – but – well, a sort of
sign or token of their self-respect”
- Women are supposed to look pretty, according to the views of society at the time
- Mr Birling is disrespectful, stereotypical and reduces women to their physical attributes
- Birling’s attitude aligns with traditional gender roles, where women are expected to be nurturing,
attractive, and subservient to men.
Priestley’s Intention: Ridicule gender stereotypes, reinforce the notion that a woman’s self-worth is
connected to her relationship with men, show the audience that women’s clothes were their identity
and self-respect. By challenging gender stereotypes, he calls for a society where individuals are
valued for their humanity.
“make his own way – has to look after himself – and his family too” , “mixed up together like bees in a
hive” , “community and all that nonsense” , “mind his own business” , “look after himself”
- Mr Birling is shown to be selfish, capitalist and greedy
- He believes that a man should care for his family, but nobody else apart from his family
- He is against community and feels that we should look after ourselves
- Simile is used to portray the hatred that Mr Birling possesses towards community and socialism
Priestley’s Intention: Criticise capitalism and Mr Birling for being so selfish. Mr Birling’s speech on
community being ‘nonsense’ is interrupted by the ‘sharp ring’ of the doorbell showing that Priestley
disagrees with Mr Birling’s views.
“alderman” , “Lord Mayor two years ago” , “still on the bench” , “I know the Brumley police o icers”
- Tries to intimidate Inspector Google by showing his power and status
Priestley’s Intention: He wants to suggest a level of corruption or collusion in the social and legal
systems, as Mr Birling ‘knows the Brumley police o icers’ and feels that he can use it for his
advantage. He is mocking the systems at the time and foreshadows the moral reckoning that will
occur throughout the play.
“Just keep quiet Eric” – controlling and patronising towards his children
“wretched girl’s suicide” – humiliates Eva Smith, as she has no value due to the class stereotypes,
seen as worthless because she asked for a pay rise
“I can’t accept any responsibility” – denial and not taking the blame of anything
“good-looking girl – country-bred” – judges girls by their looks, reinforcement of gender stereotypes
“I refused, of course” – he refuses to the pay rise, showing his selfish and unjust attitude
“keep labour costs down” – reinforce the heavy capitalist views of Mr Birling
“discharged her” , “five ring-leaders” , “Eva Smith was one of them” – she is seen as disposable and
the verb ‘discharge’ helps emphasise the extreme levels of disgust and unjust treatment towards Eva,
as Mr Birling could have kept her on the job.
“If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth”
- Dehumanisation of the WC, as he refers to them as ‘these people’, disdain for the WC
- He fears the uprising of the WC and sees them as a threat to the established hierarchy
- He is harsh, controlling, and not compassionate towards the workers
,“our Chief Constable, Colonel Roberts” , “old friend of mine” , “see him fairly frequently” , “play golf
together sometimes” – name dropping, to use intimidation and scare Inspector Goole.
“Have you any idea what happened to her after that? Get into trouble? Go on the streets?”
- Questions the Inspector, showing authority and power over him
- Confronts Inspector Goole and tries to get himself out of trouble by changing the topic
- Show his lack of empathy and he is trying to blame Eva Smith and say that she is responsible
“And then she got herself into trouble there, I suppose?” (talking about Milwards) , “Not doing her work
properly?” , “There must have been something wrong”
Priestley’s Intention: highlight Mr. Birling's moral blindness and detachment from the consequences
of his actions, emphasise the urgent need for social responsibility and empathy towards the
vulnerable WC (like Eva Smith) in society. Priestley wants to express Mr Birling’s deep-rooted
prejudices and assumptions and use him to represent the UC attitudes, and reflect Mr Birling’s
capitalist views as he blames Eva Smith.
Words to describe Mr Birling in Act 1:
Arrogant, Overconfident, Self-assured, Capitalist, Ignorant, Pompous,
Closed-minded, Patriarchal, Dismissive, Materialistic, Oblivious, Stubborn,
Overconfident, Obstinate, Patronising, Authoritative, Boastful
Key Quotations – Act 2
“What’s the matter with that child?” – belittles Sheila by calling her a ‘child’ as she is in her twenties
“I’ve been trying to persuade Eric to go to bed, but he won’t” – belittles Eric, and doesn’t want his
children involved
“I only did what any employer might have done” – showing the typical employer, what they were like in
the early C.19th. Mr Birling still isn’t taking the blame and is insistent that he did his duty, capitalism.
“Now, Sheila, I’m not defending him. But you must understand that a lot of young men–”
Mr Birling is being selfish and patriarchal once again, and is trying to save the marriage of Sheila and
Gerald, perhaps because he doesn’t want to lose the business deal. The patriarchal views are
reinforced as Priestley wants to show how women were the ones who had to understand and subside
to the men’s needs.
“(angrily)” , “(angrily, to INSPECTOR) Look here, I’m not going to have this, Inspector. You’ll have to
apologise at once.” – he gets defensive easily and is o ended by the Inspector doing his duty, and
responds to the Inspector by saying that he is o ended as he is a ‘public man’.
“Damned impudence!” – he refers to Eva Smith in such a rude way, as she is worthless and WC.
“when this comes out at the inquest … The Press might easily take it up–” – Mr Birling is concerned
about the reputation of the Birling name, instead of regretting what has happened and showing sorrow
towards Eva Smith, which is a contrast to the attitude of his daughter, Sheila Birling.
, Priestley’s Intentions in Act 2: express the patronising and belittling attitudes
of the parents of the UC, show how women were supposed to understand
men’s actions and let them do what they want to, and represent through the
character of Mr Birling the way in which the UC only cared about their
reputation and honour, regardless of if their actions were morally right or
wrong.
Words to describe Mr Birling in Act 2:
Patronising, Belittling, Self-assured, Defensive, Unrepentant, Impatient,
Controlling, Rude, Self-serving (worried about reputation)
Key Quotations – Act 3
“If you’d had any sense of loyalty–” – Mr Birling is saying this to Sheila, as he feels betrayed and due to
traditions, believes that children must obey and follow the viewpoint of their parents. The complete
opposite is done by Sheila, showing the generation gap and moving mindset of Sheila.
“(explosively) No.” – Mr Birling refuses Eric for drinking, showing he is frustrated and furious
“(very sharply) You heard what I said. (Gentler.) Go on, Sybil.” – Mr Birling is irritated by Sheila, who
disobeys Mr Birling, and speaks gently to Sybil, to show the contrast because Mrs Birling is more
submissive to Arthur compared to their daughter Sheila.
“I don’t want any of that talk from you–” – Mr Birling scolds Eric for disrespecting him and talking about
his friends being with women. Arthur wants to protect his status and the reputation of his name.
“Gave the firm’s receipt and then kept the money, eh?” , “I’ve got to cover this up as soon as I can.” ,
“You damned fool” , “–you’ve been spoilt–” – Mr Birling is worried about his reputation and his priority
is business, rather than being concerned about Eric and his actions. He shows a lack of support and
compassion towards Eric as he blames him for being spoilt.
“(furious, intervening) Why, you hysterical young fool – get back – or I’ll–” – rude & insincere behaviour
“(angrily to ERIC) You’re the one I blame for this.” , “public scandal” , “almost certain for a knighthood
in the next Honours List–” – Still worried about his reputation after all that has happened, and blames
Eric for all of this. Instead of regretting his actions and how his family has harmed Eva Smith, he goes
on to talk about the dishonouring that it has caused to the Birling name. He also may be irritated for
Eric sleeping with the Eva Smith, especially because she is inferior and part of the WC.
“There’s every excuse for what both your mother and I did – it turned out unfortunately, that’s all–”
Mr Birling gets very defensive towards Eric, and challenges him saying that he has no excuse for his
actions, although Arthur doesn’t regret nor admit his and Sybil’s actions, and acts manipulative.
“it matters a devil of a lot” – Mr Birling gets rather interested in the matter when the Birling’s and
Gerald Croft start to speculate whether Inspector Goole was a hoax or not.
“Any more of that and you leave this room” – Mr Birling dominates the conversation towards Sheila as
she is trying to side by the truth, when he tries to get her to be quiet and belittles her.
, Key Quotes of the opening
“dining room of a fairly large suburban house” – outside of the city
“a prosperous manufacturer” – making profit, successful businessman
“good solid furniture” – expensive, high quality, ‘solid’ = closeness & strong
“substantial and heavily comfortable but not cosy and homelike”
Provides necessities, high status, but not like a home and not relaxing
“pink and intimate” – love and closeness between the family
“brighter and harder” – serious, uncomfortable, Inspector uncovers the truth
“the parlourmaid, is just clearing the table” Show the wealth and status, power,
richness, want to impress, present the
“decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes” lower class through the parlourmaid
“the men in tails, and white ties, not dinner-jackets” (Edna)
“BIRLING is a heavy-looking, rather portentous man” – show-o
“provincial in his speech” – simple talking
“His wife” (MRS BIRLING) “about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband’s social
superior.” – unwelcoming, disrespectful, higher status
“SHEILA is a pretty girl in her twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited” –
naïve, immature and judged by her looks
“GERALD CROFT … very much the easy well-bred young man”
Rich and wealthy, high status and upper class, had an easy life
“ERIC … not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive.”
This shows a mixed personality that Eric has, unpredictable yet predictable
“a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves”
Priestley’s Intentions in the opening:
Present the upper class, and high status of the Birling family, and the comfort and luxury lifestyle
Show that the Birling family have a lot of money, yet money isn’t happiness, as they aren’t close
Reflect the wealth and privilege they enjoy, contrasting the struggles of the WC, represented by Eva
Smith later on in the play
Introduce and criticise capitalist views and ideas along with the class divide
Expose the complacency and selfishness of the privileged upper class, challenged later by IG
Complacency – sense of self-satisfaction and smugness, unaware of the problems in society
,Meet Shah (11.11)
, Key Quotations - Act 1
“You ought to like this port” , “same port your father gets from him” – eager to impress Gerald and
show o , align himself to Gerald’s higher class and share the lifestyle, as port is a luxury and
sophisticated drink, it highlights the materialism. Mr Birling wants to prove that he is worthy of the
Croft Family’s Respect
Priestley’s Intention: show how the values of the UC are centred around materialistic things including
money, rather than genuine human connections like the WC. Priestley wants to mock the mindset and
how it is shallow and ultimately insignificant in the face of larger social issues, such as inequality and
responsibility for others.
“but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices” – he sees the marriage as a business
opportunity, he pays his employees less and sells products for expensive, capitalist views, present the
profit-driven approach of the UC, “lower costs” hints at the exploitation of labour,
Priestley’s Intention: highlighting and raise awareness of how prioritizing profit leads to su ering of the
WC, set the stage for later conflicts regarding the WC (Eva Smith), advocate for a better business
approach, emphasise the contradiction of lowering costs and raising prices.
“I speak as a hardheaded businessman” , “I say there isn’t a chance of war” , “unsinkable, absolutely
unsinkable” , “peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere” , “We can’t let these Bernard
Shaws and H.G. Wellses do all the talking”
- A good businessman, fixed and closed mindset, selfish
- He is foolish, wrong and ignorant and denies that war, however WW1 & WW2 happen shortly after
- The titanic does sink, therefore he is incorrect, again showing his foolishness
- There isn’t a bit of peace during the wars, also, it shows his naïve and selfish outlook as he is
ignorant of the struggles faced by the WC
- A lot of dramatic irony is used by Priestley to show his overconfidence
- Mr Birling disagrees with Socialism, and feels that Capitalist views are correct
Priestley’s Intention: Perhaps the titanic line is used to foreshadow the moral and social disasters that
will unfold in the play, paralleling the sinking of the Titanic with the downfall of the Birlings' social and
moral integrity. His intention is to show the foolishness and ignorance of Mr Birling and to ridicule the
Capitalism over Socialism views.
“I might find my way into the next Honours List” , “I gather there’s a very good chance of knighthood”
- He mentions this to show his higher status and impress Gerald through social elevation
- Align himself with Gerald’s higher class, as his parents are Sir and Lady
- Show o how he has a high chance of getting a reputed award and title, the knighthood
Priestley’s Intention: Show how the UC care more about social elite and recognition over genuine
moral responsibility, portray his detachment from society due to the social hierarchy, he cares about
personal success over the welfare of others, expose the divide between the privileged class and WC.
Priestley suggests that the pursuit of personal gain and recognition can lead to ethical blind spots.
,“Not just something to wear – and not only something to make ‘em look prettier – but – well, a sort of
sign or token of their self-respect”
- Women are supposed to look pretty, according to the views of society at the time
- Mr Birling is disrespectful, stereotypical and reduces women to their physical attributes
- Birling’s attitude aligns with traditional gender roles, where women are expected to be nurturing,
attractive, and subservient to men.
Priestley’s Intention: Ridicule gender stereotypes, reinforce the notion that a woman’s self-worth is
connected to her relationship with men, show the audience that women’s clothes were their identity
and self-respect. By challenging gender stereotypes, he calls for a society where individuals are
valued for their humanity.
“make his own way – has to look after himself – and his family too” , “mixed up together like bees in a
hive” , “community and all that nonsense” , “mind his own business” , “look after himself”
- Mr Birling is shown to be selfish, capitalist and greedy
- He believes that a man should care for his family, but nobody else apart from his family
- He is against community and feels that we should look after ourselves
- Simile is used to portray the hatred that Mr Birling possesses towards community and socialism
Priestley’s Intention: Criticise capitalism and Mr Birling for being so selfish. Mr Birling’s speech on
community being ‘nonsense’ is interrupted by the ‘sharp ring’ of the doorbell showing that Priestley
disagrees with Mr Birling’s views.
“alderman” , “Lord Mayor two years ago” , “still on the bench” , “I know the Brumley police o icers”
- Tries to intimidate Inspector Google by showing his power and status
Priestley’s Intention: He wants to suggest a level of corruption or collusion in the social and legal
systems, as Mr Birling ‘knows the Brumley police o icers’ and feels that he can use it for his
advantage. He is mocking the systems at the time and foreshadows the moral reckoning that will
occur throughout the play.
“Just keep quiet Eric” – controlling and patronising towards his children
“wretched girl’s suicide” – humiliates Eva Smith, as she has no value due to the class stereotypes,
seen as worthless because she asked for a pay rise
“I can’t accept any responsibility” – denial and not taking the blame of anything
“good-looking girl – country-bred” – judges girls by their looks, reinforcement of gender stereotypes
“I refused, of course” – he refuses to the pay rise, showing his selfish and unjust attitude
“keep labour costs down” – reinforce the heavy capitalist views of Mr Birling
“discharged her” , “five ring-leaders” , “Eva Smith was one of them” – she is seen as disposable and
the verb ‘discharge’ helps emphasise the extreme levels of disgust and unjust treatment towards Eva,
as Mr Birling could have kept her on the job.
“If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth”
- Dehumanisation of the WC, as he refers to them as ‘these people’, disdain for the WC
- He fears the uprising of the WC and sees them as a threat to the established hierarchy
- He is harsh, controlling, and not compassionate towards the workers
,“our Chief Constable, Colonel Roberts” , “old friend of mine” , “see him fairly frequently” , “play golf
together sometimes” – name dropping, to use intimidation and scare Inspector Goole.
“Have you any idea what happened to her after that? Get into trouble? Go on the streets?”
- Questions the Inspector, showing authority and power over him
- Confronts Inspector Goole and tries to get himself out of trouble by changing the topic
- Show his lack of empathy and he is trying to blame Eva Smith and say that she is responsible
“And then she got herself into trouble there, I suppose?” (talking about Milwards) , “Not doing her work
properly?” , “There must have been something wrong”
Priestley’s Intention: highlight Mr. Birling's moral blindness and detachment from the consequences
of his actions, emphasise the urgent need for social responsibility and empathy towards the
vulnerable WC (like Eva Smith) in society. Priestley wants to express Mr Birling’s deep-rooted
prejudices and assumptions and use him to represent the UC attitudes, and reflect Mr Birling’s
capitalist views as he blames Eva Smith.
Words to describe Mr Birling in Act 1:
Arrogant, Overconfident, Self-assured, Capitalist, Ignorant, Pompous,
Closed-minded, Patriarchal, Dismissive, Materialistic, Oblivious, Stubborn,
Overconfident, Obstinate, Patronising, Authoritative, Boastful
Key Quotations – Act 2
“What’s the matter with that child?” – belittles Sheila by calling her a ‘child’ as she is in her twenties
“I’ve been trying to persuade Eric to go to bed, but he won’t” – belittles Eric, and doesn’t want his
children involved
“I only did what any employer might have done” – showing the typical employer, what they were like in
the early C.19th. Mr Birling still isn’t taking the blame and is insistent that he did his duty, capitalism.
“Now, Sheila, I’m not defending him. But you must understand that a lot of young men–”
Mr Birling is being selfish and patriarchal once again, and is trying to save the marriage of Sheila and
Gerald, perhaps because he doesn’t want to lose the business deal. The patriarchal views are
reinforced as Priestley wants to show how women were the ones who had to understand and subside
to the men’s needs.
“(angrily)” , “(angrily, to INSPECTOR) Look here, I’m not going to have this, Inspector. You’ll have to
apologise at once.” – he gets defensive easily and is o ended by the Inspector doing his duty, and
responds to the Inspector by saying that he is o ended as he is a ‘public man’.
“Damned impudence!” – he refers to Eva Smith in such a rude way, as she is worthless and WC.
“when this comes out at the inquest … The Press might easily take it up–” – Mr Birling is concerned
about the reputation of the Birling name, instead of regretting what has happened and showing sorrow
towards Eva Smith, which is a contrast to the attitude of his daughter, Sheila Birling.
, Priestley’s Intentions in Act 2: express the patronising and belittling attitudes
of the parents of the UC, show how women were supposed to understand
men’s actions and let them do what they want to, and represent through the
character of Mr Birling the way in which the UC only cared about their
reputation and honour, regardless of if their actions were morally right or
wrong.
Words to describe Mr Birling in Act 2:
Patronising, Belittling, Self-assured, Defensive, Unrepentant, Impatient,
Controlling, Rude, Self-serving (worried about reputation)
Key Quotations – Act 3
“If you’d had any sense of loyalty–” – Mr Birling is saying this to Sheila, as he feels betrayed and due to
traditions, believes that children must obey and follow the viewpoint of their parents. The complete
opposite is done by Sheila, showing the generation gap and moving mindset of Sheila.
“(explosively) No.” – Mr Birling refuses Eric for drinking, showing he is frustrated and furious
“(very sharply) You heard what I said. (Gentler.) Go on, Sybil.” – Mr Birling is irritated by Sheila, who
disobeys Mr Birling, and speaks gently to Sybil, to show the contrast because Mrs Birling is more
submissive to Arthur compared to their daughter Sheila.
“I don’t want any of that talk from you–” – Mr Birling scolds Eric for disrespecting him and talking about
his friends being with women. Arthur wants to protect his status and the reputation of his name.
“Gave the firm’s receipt and then kept the money, eh?” , “I’ve got to cover this up as soon as I can.” ,
“You damned fool” , “–you’ve been spoilt–” – Mr Birling is worried about his reputation and his priority
is business, rather than being concerned about Eric and his actions. He shows a lack of support and
compassion towards Eric as he blames him for being spoilt.
“(furious, intervening) Why, you hysterical young fool – get back – or I’ll–” – rude & insincere behaviour
“(angrily to ERIC) You’re the one I blame for this.” , “public scandal” , “almost certain for a knighthood
in the next Honours List–” – Still worried about his reputation after all that has happened, and blames
Eric for all of this. Instead of regretting his actions and how his family has harmed Eva Smith, he goes
on to talk about the dishonouring that it has caused to the Birling name. He also may be irritated for
Eric sleeping with the Eva Smith, especially because she is inferior and part of the WC.
“There’s every excuse for what both your mother and I did – it turned out unfortunately, that’s all–”
Mr Birling gets very defensive towards Eric, and challenges him saying that he has no excuse for his
actions, although Arthur doesn’t regret nor admit his and Sybil’s actions, and acts manipulative.
“it matters a devil of a lot” – Mr Birling gets rather interested in the matter when the Birling’s and
Gerald Croft start to speculate whether Inspector Goole was a hoax or not.
“Any more of that and you leave this room” – Mr Birling dominates the conversation towards Sheila as
she is trying to side by the truth, when he tries to get her to be quiet and belittles her.
