What is the role of the Inspector in An Inspector Calls? How does J.B. Priestly use him?

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What is the role of the Inspector in "An Inspector Calls?"

How does J.B. Priestly use him?

The play "An Inspector Calls" is a play set in 1912 about the suicide of a young woman, Eva Smith, the Birling family who drove her to it, and the police Inspector who comes to question them on their involvement with the girl.

The Inspector arrives at the Birling home during their celebration of Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft, who is also present. Mr. Birling is just preaching to the young men Eric and Gerald about his philosophy of life. "A man has to look after himself and his own," he says, feeling that people who believe that we are all part of a community are "cranks." It is the author's use of dramatic timing that causes the Inspector to arrive just at this moment. The audience are to see that the Inspector's views of life are the polar opposite of Mr. Birling's, with the Inspector stating near the end of the play "We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other." After the Inspector's revelations and each character knows what the others have done,