1. What changes are there in Eric’s character in the course of this act?

Eric has been seen as a foolish, immature young man in his interactions with other characters early in the play, we have learnt that he has been a steady drinker for two years and that he is treated childlike, for example, Mrs Birling assumes that Eric and his sister are tired because he is apart of the younger generation although he is old enough to be responsible for his actions. In Act Three the Inspector questions Eric, and when the truth comes out about Eric’s role of Eva Smith’s death he acts as if their relationship was brief and the fact that she became pregnant seemed a childish game by describing her as a 'a good sport'.

He does, however, offer her money but Eva declined his offer when she found out the money had been stolen from his fathers factory which tells us although she had little in life she was not prepared to take things from other people. Despite being one of two characters who tries to help Eva, the other guests turn on Eric, even his father-'You're the one I blame for this’. Eric was shocked that the household hadn’t absorbed the message communicated to them by the inexplicable Inspector Goole as himself and Sheila were not so easily swayed towards Mr Birling, Mrs Birling and Gerald’s theory as they still should feel responsible for the disastrous incidents that escalated from a chain of events for this girl to end her life.

Eric learned from the experience - 'It's what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.’ Even though they weren’t certain that the girl had actually died a layer of maturity grew upon him towards the end of the book.

2. What relevance has the Inspector’s final warning in his last speech to the story of Eva Smith?

In the Inspector’s last speech he links Eva/Daisy to the “millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths” in