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Summary of events
It is the same evening and Kate is worried about George's visit. She is afraid that the case will be opened up again; she remembers all too well that Steve never gave up his assertion that Joe made him cover up the cracks in the cylinder heads. She is convinced that the whole Deever family hates them and wants Ann to go home with George. Chris tells her not to worry. Left alone with Ann, he promises he will tell Kate about their engagement later that night. Joe joins them and remarks, too casually, that he has been thinking about George. He should leave New York, where there is too much competition and settle in this town where Joe knows many big lawyers who could help him. We also says that he will bring Steve into the business again when he gets out of prison. Chris is against this and Ann is surprised; she thinks that Joe owes her father nothing, but Joe shouts at her that a father is a father.
George enters having visited his father in jail; he is very angry after hearing his father's version of what happened on that day in the factory during the war. Steve had seen that the cylinder heads were defective and telephoned Joe; but Joe did not come. When he phoned again, Joe told him to cover up the faults and ship the cylinder heads out. Joe had also promised to take responsibility, but later in court he said he had been ill on that day and denied having spoken to Steve on the phone. Now Joe is a successful businessman and Steve has had to take the punishment.
Neither Chris nor Ann can believe that Joe would do such a thing, but George now believes his father and wants to talk to Joe and then take Ann away with him. Kate enters, dressed for the dinner party. She is pleased to see George who has always liked her and asks him to stay for the meal. Joe then enters and greets George with strained cordiality. George refuses to stay to eat and Ann goes to call a taxi.
Joe now tells George about all the mistakes Steve made when he worked for the firm and that his father is a man who never learned to accept responsibility for his errors. George begins to feel less sure about his father's innocence and, on Kate's insisting, agrees to join them for dinner. He begins to feel at home and says that none of the Kellers has changed, especially Joe.
Kate proudly tells George that Joe has not been ill for fifteen years; Joe interrupts - too quickly - to remind her of how ill he had been on that fateful day. Now George becomes suspicious and asks Joe what really happened on that day. The quarrel comes to a head when Chris tells Kate that he is marrying Ann, and George accuses Joe of hiding in bed after telling Steve to murder the pilots. Kate becomes hysterical and insists that Larry will come back. Joe says that she is insane; losing all control, Kate hits Joe. She tells Chris that if Larry is dead, Joe killed him and then Chris turns on his father in horror and, at last, hears the truth. It had been Joe who also says that he will bring Steve into the business again when he gets out of prison. Chris is against this and Ann is surprised; she thinks that Joe owes her father nothing, but Joe shouts at her that a father is a father.
George enters having visited his father in jail; he is very angry after hearing his father's version of what happened on that day in the factory during the war. Steve had seen that the cylinder heads were defective and telephoned Joe; but Joe did not come. When he phoned again, Joe told him to cover up the faults and ship the cylinder heads out. Joe had also promised to take responsibility, but later in court he said he had been ill on that day and denied having spoken to Steve on the phone. Now Joe is a successful businessman and Steve has had to take the punishment.
Neither Chris nor Ann can believe that Joe would do such a thing, but George now believes his father and wants to talk to Joe and then take Ann away with him. Kate enters, dressed for the dinner party. She is pleased to see George who has always liked her and asks him to stay for the meal. Joe then enters and greets George with strained cordiality. George refuses to stay to eat and Ann goes to call a taxi.
Joe now tells George about all the mistakes Steve made when he worked for the firm and that his father is a man who never learned to accept responsibility for his errors. George begins to feel less sure about his father's innocence and, on Kate's insisting, agrees to join them for dinner. He begins to feel at home and says that none of the Kellers has changed, especially Joe.
Kate proudly tells George that Joe has not been ill for fifteen years; Joe interrupts - too quickly - to remind her of how ill he had been on that fateful day. Now George becomes suspicious and asks Joe what really happened on that day. The quarrel comes to a head when Chris tells Kate that he is marrying Ann, and George accuses Joe of hiding in bed after telling Steve to murder the pilots. Kate becomes hysterical and insists that Larry will come back. Joe says that she is insane; losing all control, Kate hits Joe. She tells Chris that if Larry is dead, Joe killed him and then Chris turns on his father in horror and, at last, hears the truth. It had been Joe who
really gave the order to deliver the cylinder heads in order to save his firm; he had hoped that someone would notice the defects before it was too late. Chris is appalled at his father's action, that he could think only of his business when boys were dying every day. He cannot accept Joe's excuse, that he did it all for his son. He stumbles away, covering his face and weeping. Gradually the past is closing in on the family.
Joe now asks Kate what he should do and she suggests he ought to tell Chris that he is willing to go to prison for what he did. Perhaps Chris would then forgive him if he could feel that Joe was willing to pay. Joe becomes angry and says that he has spoiled his family. He even committed a crime to give them money. He thinks that there is nothing bigger than the family, but Kate says that there is something bigger. Ann enters, wanting to speak to Kate alone; she tells her that she will not reveal Joe's guilty secret. In return, she wants Kate to set Chris free, to tell him that Larry is dead and that she knows it, otherwise Chris will always feel guilty about marrying her. Kate refuses, so Ann takes a letter from her pocket which Larry wrote to her before he crashed off the coast of China. Kate begins to read it and breaks down, moaning.
Chris comes back, looking exhausted. He has decided he must go away for good. He hates himself for not being able to give his father up to the police and sees himself as cowardly in giving up his principles, just like everybody else. Ann wants to go with him, but Chris is convinced she will never forgive him for not delivering up his father. He cannot find a reason to make Joe suffer; putting him behind bars will not bring the pilots back to life. Ann now refuses to let Chris go.
Joe enters and asks Chris what he intends to do. He works himself up into a fury trying to defend his action. If he has to go to jail, then so does half the country. Chris can only say that he thought that Joe was better than other men because he saw him as a father. Ann takes Larry's letter from Kate and pushes it into Chris's hand. Kate tries to push Joe away so that he will not hear what is in the letter. Chris reads out what Larry wrote to Ann three years before. He had read in the newspapers about their fathers being convicted. He could not stand life any more. He was going to commit suicide. Ann was not to wait for him. If he had had his father there, he would have killed him. The truth Kate hid for so long is gradually emerging. Joe grabs the letter and reads it. He tells Chris to get the car while he goes to put on his jacket. Kate begs him not to go and forbids Chris to take him. She says the war is over, but Chris retorts that it is not enough for them to be sorry about Larry's death. They must realize that there is a universe of people outside and that they are all responsible to it. Unless they realise that, Larry has died in vain. A shot is heard from the house; Joe has killed himself.
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