He is very protective of Catherine, whom he has brought up as if she were his own daughter. He paid for her typing lessons and had ambitions for her to rise to a different class. He is proud of her looks, yet concerned that she will attract the attention of men and is concerned about her new job. He finds it hard to admit that she has become a woman. "I guess I just never figured... that you would ever grow up."
We then discover that Beatrice's cousins are coming to stay, which gives Eddie the chance to tell the tale of Vinny Bolzano. He is concerned about his honour and protecting his good name, because Marco shows to be more of a man than him by being more ‘manly’. Eddie ends the tale of the Vinny Bolzano, "a guy do a thing like that? How's he gonna show his face?" Note the stage directions, also. Exits and entrances allow Arthur Miller to have different pairs in conversation. However, it soon becomes apparent that Eddie is in love with Catherine. He has not made love to his wife (Beatrice) for three months. He quickly becomes jealous of Rodolpho because of the immediate impression Rodolpho makes on Catherine. The tell us, "He looks at [Catherine] like a lost boy" when Catherine tells Eddie she loves Rodolpho. He is unable to admit this shameful emotion to himself and is angry when Beatrice and Alfieri dare to mention it.
As his feelings for Catherine become more obsessive, he does everything he can to prevent Rodolpho from marrying her. He tries to undermine Rodolpho. For example, he mocks Rodolpho's skills at cooking, singing and sewing, claims he is homosexual and tells Catherine that he only wants her to gain US citizenship. Eddie then kisses both Rodolpho and Catherine, this being a dramatic scene, but Arthur Miller does not include the stage directions of Catherine. This showing the reaction towards the kiss was not clear. Eddie shows that he would do almost anything to break Rodolpho and Catherine, this he did to show Rodolpho was gay. This just made things worse for Eddie, but he did not give up and then he tries to get the law involved and is amazed when Alfieri says that nothing can be done. He goes even further and tries violence: he 'teaches' Rodolpho to box as an excuse to hit him, then fights with Rodolpho when he knows Rodolpho has slept with Catherine. In his last attempt he calls the Immigration Bureau as a desperate attempt to stop the wedding. He cares so much for Catherine that he is prepared to break his code of honour.
In the end, he loses everything: Catherine, his wife, his name. He has no option but to fight Marco to the death (The knife in his hand, but got turned against him). Ironically, his death restores some of his lost honour because he does not try to escape his fate. Eddie caused a lot of conflict, Verbal conflict with all the other characters at some point or another. Even his jokes are barbed and bitter, Physical conflict with Rodolpho and Conflict within himself as he wrestles with his love for Catherine.
