An Inspector Calls

The Birling family and Gerald Croft gather in Brumley to celebrate Sheila's engagement. Mr. Birling extols social status and future honors, creating a tense undercurrent beneath the celebration. The women eventually withdraw, leaving the men to continue with cigars and talk of business and the future.

Edna announces a police inspector has arrived, and Goole introduces himself as the man investigating Eva Smith's suicide. He states he will question the family one by one and takes things 'one thing at a time.' His presence unsettles the room and hints at hidden connections among the guests.

Mr. Birling reveals Eva Smith had worked in his factory and was dismissed after leading a strike for equal pay. He insists he bears no responsibility for her death and notes she was left without financial means after losing her job. The inspector highlights the cause-and-effect chain starting with his own actions.

Sheila is shown Eva Smith's photograph and recounts the day she tried on a dress at Milwards. She recalls Eva helping her try it on, and her own subsequent humiliation after realizing the dress didn’t suit her. Believing Eva mocked her, she insists on having Eva fired from the shop.

Inspector Goole reveals Eva Smith had changed her name to Daisy Renton. Gerald admits meeting a woman named Daisy at the Palace Bar and taking her in, providing money and a place to stay, and parting ways after a few months. He explains he tried to help her during a difficult period.

Daisy arrives at a charity seeking assistance, falsely claiming to be Mrs. Birling. The real Mrs. Birling refuses to help, branding Daisy as irresponsible and denying any responsibility. The inspector cross-examines to expose the truth about Eva/Daisy’s struggles and the charity’s stance.

The inspector points to Eric as the father of Eva’s child. Eric enters, breaks down, and admits he raped Alice Grey after a night of drinking, then stole £50 to support her. The confession shocks the family and fuels the mounting crisis of accountability.

The inspector reveals Eva Smith's death came from drinking disinfectant after her pregnancy and hardship. He emphasizes that actions touch all lives and that society is interconnected. The family is left to grapple with the moral implications of their earlier confessions.

The family decides the inspector must be a hoax. They contact the chief constable and the infirmary to verify his existence but find no record of Inspector Goole. The tension shifts from guilt to suspicion of deception.

Gerald and the elder Birlings seem relieved, but Eric and Sheila continue to feel haunted by what has happened. The sense of moral unease persists as the evening carries on.

A phone rings, revealing that a young woman has died in the infirmary and that the police are on their way to question the family. The inspector’s identity remains unresolved, and the timing adds new gravity to their prior confessions.

As the echoes of the night settle, the family confronts the possibility that they have been part of a larger social web that affects others. The inspector’s identity is left unexplained, inviting the audience to consider whether the moral message endures beyond the moment. The final image lingers on the theme of collective responsibility.