Arthur Birling

start and end dont really matter. he sucks either way

start - out of touch

Germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war + unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable - a1, birling discusses politics with gerald during the engagement dinner.

start - disconnect from real suffering of lower classes

a nasty mess you’ve of it now, haven’t you? (telling inspector of how he ruined the engagement celebration dinner) a1

start narcisisstic, patriarchal sense of duty

it’s my duty to keep labour costs down a1 The quote is used in the early part of Act 1 when Mr. Birling is confronted by the Inspector about firing Eva Smith (later discovered to be the same person who the Inspector is questioning about) and her subsequent suicide. 

start - narcissistic description

a hard-headed, practical man of business (how he continually describes himself) a1

end - remorseless, self-serving

it matters a devil of a lot. makes all the difference (The quote comes after Sheila questions the Inspector's legitimacy, suggesting he might not be a real police officer. ) a3

end - mocking younger generation, selfish and entrenched

[pointing to eric and sheila] now look at the pair of them - the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke- (This quote occurs in Act 3 of the play, when the Inspector's investigation has revealed the Birling family's involvement in Eva Smith's death - the girl did not exist, gerald confirmed. )