Gerald was involved in the murder because he was having an affair with the girl. Mr Birling got involved because he sacked her from his company. Sheila also got Eva Smith sacked from her job in a shop and Mrs Birling was involved because she refused to help Eva Smith.
When the inspector leaves, Mr Birling is still angry and he is blaming Eric for the whole thing. “You’re the one I blame for this” (page 57). Mr Birling wants to get things sorted out. Eric’s reactions are that he does not care because the inspector has left. “Oh for gods sake! What does it matter now whether they give a knight hood or not?” (page 57).
Mrs Birling is not happy either because of what Eric has done. “I should think not. Eric, I’m absolutely ashamed of you” (page 57). When they finished talking about that they were wondering of he was a real police man or not and why he was so rude. “It doesn’t much matter now, of course – but was he really a police inspector” (page 58).
Sheila also was not happy about what happened. When the inspector left she said “I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it. But now your beginning all over again to pretend that nothing much has happened” (page 57).
The Birling family are upper class people. They were very posh and stylish. Mr Birling said “that a man has to make his own way – has to look after himself – and his family too” (page 9). When the inspector enters the house Mr Birling is confused because he does not like his behaviour. He thinks he is rude and wonders why he had to come to their house.
The inspector said that Eva Smith committed suicide. “She’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course” (page 11). Eva Smith was twenty four years old and she was pretty. “She wasn’t pretty when I saw her today, but she has been pretty – very pretty” (page 18). The inspector mentions this because he wants the family to feel guilty and sorry for what they have done.
The relationship between rich and poor is that rich people have a lot of money and big houses and so on. Poor people do not have much money and they can not afford the same things as rich people can. Poor people are named lower class and rich people are named upper class.
