The plot of "An Inspector Calls" is about an inspector who interrupts the elegant engagement dinner party of Gerald Croft and Sheila Birling, to question the Birling family about the suicide of a young working-class girl called Eva Smith. There are many plot twists which work well with the characters. The family is set as a typical middle-upper-class household where class distinctions are very important, where privilege and responsibility only apply to those who can afford it. .
The Inspector does a good job of making the family of Mr. Birling, a rich factory owner and self-centered capitalist; feel very guilty for assisting the death of Eva-Smith (also known as Daisy Renton). But moral guilt is not the major issue in this play. The major issue is how class-aware Britain has become, and how Capitalism and Socialism are shown. Birling is a ruthless businessman, who worked to make his money and build his status, and when he finally reaches his dream, his wealth and popularity are threatened by this public scandal. Through out the play, shockingly, this is what worries him the most. Not that a young woman has killed herself through the unnecessary actions of his family, but that there might be a public scandal, which would ruin his chances of knighthood.
The characters of the family and Croft are a mixture of capitalists (people who believe that those who can make money should and those who can't don't deserve it)and socialists(those who believe that society should look after everyone, including those who have no money) in the beginning, but as the play develops the "younger generation", who are usually stereotyped for not caring, are the ones who feel guilt for what they have afflicted on this poor woman.
J. B. Priestley's class-self-consciousness is evident too, and an example of this is how the Birlings treat the maid. She is only there for the family, for example, during the late evening the family makes reference to her when Gerald returns from his stroll.
