I Never Sang for My Father

A college professor whose composure hides conflict between loyalty to his father and his own need for independence. He clings to a vision of his future with Peggy but is pulled back by his father’s demands and past hurts. His relationship with Norma provides a counterpoint to his responsibilities at home, revealing a man torn between affection and obligation.

An aging patriarch whose memory is slipping and whose stubborn pride makes care difficult to arrange. He loves his son and resists being placed in a nursing home, clinging to control even as his health deteriorates. His past disinheritance of Alice over her Jewish spouse adds a layer of tension and sense of unresolved business within the family.

Gene’s sister, practical and burdened by the need to navigate her father's care while dealing with family tensions about inheritance and marriage. She arrives with news and makes difficult choices about who will care for Tom. Her stance reflects the balancing act between duty to family and personal precarities.

Gene's mother whose death sets off the family’s reevaluation of responsibilities and future plans. She is a figure whose absence catalyzes the emotional journey of the living and the decisions they must face after loss.

Gene’s ongoing love interest who craves a deeper commitment. She offers to move to New York to be with Gene, serving as a foil to the unstable dynamic with his father and illustrating a path toward personal pursuit beyond caregiving duties.

A doctor connected to Gene’s life as a potential ally in his future plans. Peggy is characterized by practicality and warmth, and her willingness to relocate with Gene hints at a possible new phase away from his family—yet the past, especially with Tom, remains a complication.