Act 3: The Ending and the Phone Call
After the Inspector Leaves
Once the Inspector departs, the Birling family splits into two camps. Mr Birling, Mrs Birling and Gerald immediately begin trying to prove the Inspector was a fraud. Gerald makes independent enquiries and discovers there is no Inspector Goole on the local police force. Gerald then telephones the infirmary, which confirms that no girl has been brought in.
Mr Birling is triumphant: “The whole thing’s different now.” He believes that if the Inspector was a fake, no real harm was done and there is nothing to worry about. Gerald returns the engagement ring to Sheila, expecting everything to go back to normal.
Gerald suggests the Inspector may have used different photographs to each family member, meaning they might not all have mistreated the same girl. This raises the possibility that “Eva Smith” is not one woman but several — strengthening the interpretation that she represents all exploited working-class people.
Sheila and Eric Stand Firm
Sheila and Eric refuse to celebrate. Sheila insists: “And don’t let’s start dodging and pretending now. Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide.” Eric agrees: the Inspector’s identity is irrelevant because what they did was wrong, regardless of whether the consequences were real.
This is the play’s most important moral divide. The older generation cares only about consequences (punishment, scandal). The younger generation understands that morality is about actions, not outcomes.
When Gerald offers the ring back, Sheila does not accept it immediately. She says: “No, not yet. It’s too soon.” This signals that Sheila has genuinely changed — she will not simply return to the comfortable, unquestioning life she had before. The engagement ring, which symbolised the social alliance between the Birling and Croft families, can no longer be accepted without thought.
The Final Phone Call
Just as Mr Birling is celebrating their escape, the telephone rings. He answers, listens, and his face changes. He announces: “That was the police. A girl has just died — on her way to the Infirmary — after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police inspector is on his way here — to ask some — questions.”
The play ends with the family staring in shocked silence. The cyclical ending suggests that the events are about to repeat — the Inspector will arrive again, the interrogation will begin again. The characters who refused to learn will be given another chance — or another punishment.
The final phone call is the play’s most debated moment. It suggests either that a real girl has now died (the Inspector was a warning that went unheeded) or that time is repeating itself. Either way, the message is the same: if you refuse to learn the lesson of responsibility, the consequences will find you.
The Inspector as time traveller: He arrived before the death occurred, warning the family of what their actions would cause. They ignored the warning, and now the consequences are real.
The Inspector as supernatural figure: His name — “Goole” (homophone of “ghoul”) — hints at something ghostly or otherworldly. He represents conscience itself, visiting those who have silenced their own.
Cyclical time: Priestley was influenced by J.W. Dunne’s theory that time is not linear. The ending suggests the family is trapped in a cycle they can only escape by changing their behaviour.
The ambiguous ending forces the audience to make their own moral judgement. Will the Birlings change this time? Should they be punished? Priestley deliberately leaves these questions open because the real question is directed at the audience: will you take responsibility? The play is not just about the Birlings — it is about everyone watching.