Mr Birlings first priority is to make money.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Mr Birling's first priority is to make money. "It's my duty to keep the labour costs down" He does this because he is trying not to give too much money away, but instead, trying to keep the bulk of it for himself.

Mr Birling is a wealthy, pompous man who loves to show off his good fortune to other members of the community who he is trying to impress. You could say he was ostentatious. He is a prosperous owner of his factory, Birling and Company. "...a self-made man..." He started his business from nothing and worked his way up, until he was a wealthy man. This explains to us that he made himself what he is today through hard work.

Mr Birling strongly believes that in order for a man to become successful, he has to start from the bottom and make his way to the top. "a man has to make his own way." He believes because he did exactly that, he has suffered through all the `ups and downs` of creating a top business, he has become a very knowledgeable and sensible man.

He sees himself as a very wise man, who is