Gerald - An Inspector Calls

quotes (w/ annotation)

Hear, hear! And I think my father would agree to that.

At the start he seems the perfect son-in-law: the son of the competition Croft's Limited and gets on well with Mr Birling, sharing his capitalist aims 'for lower costs and higher prices'.

After all, y'know, we're respectable citizens and not criminals.

Gerald and the Birlings believe that only lower class people are criminals and that just because they are of a high class they are 'respectable citizens'. We soon learn that this is certainly not the case.

I went down into the bar for a drink. It's a favourite haunt of women of the town.

The fact that the Palace bar is a location known for prostitutes looking for business is here partly mentioned. Moreover, this information might even lead to questions about precisely what he was doing in that bar, at night, other than just happening to 'look in' after a 'dull day' and having 'a drink.'

(distressed) Sorry - I - well, I've suddenly realized - taken it in properly - that's she's dead.

After some questioning Gerald appears to be genuinely remorseful and ashamed that he used somebody like that and that perhaps this had contributed to her death. He is not as deeply touched, however, as Sheila. He felt responsible enough to find Daisy somewhere else to live and provided for her when he broke off the affair.

She didn't blame me at all. I wish to God she had now. Perhaps I'd feel better about it.

Perhaps the audience don't blame Gerald much at first because Daisy didn't. Gerald had 'had some affection for her and made her happy for a time' but then he left her and went off on a business trip. He effectively made her homeless.

Everything's all right now, Sheila. (Holds up the ring.) What about this ring?

Despite his initial regret, he clearly doesn't feel sorry for his actions and hasn't learnt his lesson. He has the ability to separate his public, respectable image from secret, private acts (unlike Eric!).