John Boynton Priestley was a socialist. He believed that whether we acknowledged it or not, we are in a community and have a responsibility to look after others. I believe that he wrote 'London' to highlight these beliefs and share them. In writing this essay, I intend to show how Priestley explored the issue of social responsibility. In 'London' the initial meaning of the play seems to be finding out who might be responsible for …showed first 75 words of 1541 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1541 total… the people who will not learn a lesson. This is very different to the younger generation. 'You seem to have made a great impression on this child Inspector' comments Birling, and is answered with the statement 'We often do on the young ones. They're more impressionable.' This implies that Priestley is trying to say that there is potential for change in the 'young ones' which is not as evident in the older generation.