Sheila is next to face the inspector, she is upset at the beginning when she realises that she knew Eva Smith then explains about how she got Eva fired from Millwards “(Distressed) I went to the manager”. Sheila’s reaction is the opposite of Mr Birlings, she is distort with the guilt of knowing that she helped to kill Eva. She becomes like a child that has broken their families prized heirloom; she explains and then afterwards, takes in all of what has happened. She also says that she would have done all that she could to help Eva now. "If I could help her now I would - ". What makes Sheila guiltier, is that she fired the girl because of her mood.
I believe that Sheila took in what she had done and accepted in full responsibility for her actions, she also feel and shows her guilty conscience towards Eva's death “If I could help her now, I would–“. Mr Birling did none of these things, this shows that what the inspector did and how he got his message across worked to its full potential, in his interrogation. Sheila realise that this has now changed her. " - and I suppose that some of them remember. Feel now that I can never got there again." Also that the inspector said "we are all members of one body" was very true.
The inspector then turns to Gerald was is immediately shows that he has met Eva by his reaction at hearing the name Daisy Renton, this is the name that Eva Smith changes to. It then is explained that Gerald was with Daisy all last summer “were you leading her last spring and summer”. Almost straight away he shows his helpful personality when he goes and saves Daisy from 'Old Joe Meggarty' who was cornering her. "I went across and told Joe Meggarty some nonsense - that the manager had a message for him or something like that - got him out of the way." Gerald at first says that he only wanted to help her and that his intentions were good, he even put her up in a temporary house for free. "I insisted on Daisy living in those rooms and I make her take some money". Gerald then goes onto the fact that that Daisy became his mistress which not what he set out to do at any time. Up to this point Gerald talks about the fact that the affair was always going to end, and that he enjoyed being Daisies whole world. "You were the wonderful fairy prince. You must have adored it." When Gerald has told of his encounter with Daisy and how he broke off the affair in the first week of September, at this point Gerald is really hit by the fact that Daisy is dead and gone of this world.
The inspector is impressed with Gerald because out of all the suspects, he was the only one who had the slightest affection for her, to make her happy. The inspector fails to teach Gerald anything about socialism however he teaches Gerald that things come back to haunt you, but apart from that there is nothing else that Gerald learns.
Near the end the play Gerald is the first to suspect that he can put the blame aside, That he can ignore the blame “then, don’t you see, there’s still no proof it was really the same girl”. This is because Gerald leaves the house to grieve by himself and in that time he sorts things out in his head and researches into the inspector by asking one of the constables about Goole “He swore there wasn’t any Inspector Goole”. The constable never heard of Goole so now Gerald knows that there is a chance that he is 'off the hook'. Then begins to figure it all out.
Eric is different but also the same as Gerald in many ways. They both met Daisy in the Palace Bar, they both slept with Daisy but Eric had no feelings for her, in fact the first time that they were together he had to force himself to her. "I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty - and threatened to make a row." After the first time, Eric meets Daisy again in the Palace Bar, but this time Daisy doesn't refuse Eric's invitation and this time they talk for a while “this time we talked a bit”. This shows that Eric is getting to know Daisy, unfortunately Daisy due to her life treats Eric as a child when they are nearly the same age “she treated me – as if I were a kid”. This is because of her life that Daisy is mentally older than Eric is.
The inspector teaches Eric a lot about socialist views showing that all people are linked to each other.
Mrs Birling takes very much after her husband Mr Birling. She has no sympathy for Eva and when the inspector confronts her, she replies and acts with capitalist superiority “naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case”. She feels no guilt and when She turned Eva down on her request for funds, it is done with an opinion of looking upon a bug, completely useless other than to be squashed “I used my influence to have it refused”. Mrs Birling cares for no one through out the whole investigation. And only shows she cares when she realises that all the blame and insults she said were without her knowing directed at Eric “but I didn’t know it was you – I never dreamt”.
The inspector fails to teach Mrs Birling about socialism, in fact don't believe that she would even know when then the inspector said "we are all members of one body" actually meant.
I believe that only Sheila and Eric learn that all people are linked because they realised that if one person is affected then in time (no matter how long) everyone else will be affected. Gerald partially understood that because he was deeply effected by Eva's death. Mr and Mrs Briling however had no concept of socialism and only know and do what they have always done, following their capitalist view of life. This is not entirely their fault as these views have been placed on them all their lives. They are the previous generation, and therefore not up-to-date with the changes in life. Their views of capitalist superiority are too embedded.