Character Relationship Map: The Water Engine

Characters

• Charles Lang (played by William H. Macy) — protagonist

  Amateur inventor and factory worker who designs a device generating electricity from distilled water. He seeks legal protection for his patent but becomes trapped by corrupt lawyers, ultimately meetin...

• Lawrence Oberman (played by Joe Mantegna) — supporting

  A lawyer recruited by Mason Gross who assists in menacing Charles Lang and holding his sister hostage to force the surrender of the water engine plans.

• Mason Gross (played by John Mahoney) — supporting

  A lawyer contacted by Charles to patent his invention. Instead of helping, he secretly serves corporate interests, manipulates Charles, and collaborates in threatening him and holding Rita hostage.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Charles Lang → Mason Gross (Professional Client And Lawyer) — Gross initially appears to be Charles's legal representative but ultimately exploits the inventor's need for patent assistance.

  Charles finds Mason Gross in the phone book and approaches him to seek patent protection for the water-powered electricity machine.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Mason Gross → Lawrence Oberman (Alliance Collaborator) — The lawyers form a cooperative partnership to control the invention and silence its creator.

  Gross recruits Oberman, and they act together to threaten Charles and hold his sister hostage.

• Charles Lang → Lawrence Oberman (Conflict Adversary) — Oberman functions as a direct participant in the campaign against Charles.

  Mason Gross recruits Lawrence Oberman, and the two lawyers jointly menace Charles and force him to surrender the engine plans.

Story Analysis

An amateur inventor seeks to protect a revolutionary machine but is destroyed by lawyers serving interests threatened by his invention.

Plot Progression

1. An Invention in Chicago — Charles Lang works in a factory and lives in Chicago during the 1934 World's Fair. He privately develops a machine that generates electricity from distilled water and seeks patent protection.
2. Lawyers With Hidden Motives — Charles contacts Mason Gross after finding his name in the phone book and demonstrates the machine. Gross brings in Lawrence Oberman, while their motives increasingly appear aligned against Charles.
3. The Inventor Is Silenced — Charles realizes that Gross and Oberman are exploiting him and trapping him. When he tries to contact a newspaper reporter, the lawyers use his sister as leverage.
4. A Last-Minute Scheme — At the closing World's Fair, Charles hears about a chain letter from a barker. The story gives him an idea while the lawyers continue demanding the engine plans.
5. The Invention Survives — Charles claims he no longer has the plans, but a newspaper office scene reveals that he and his sister have been killed. The plans are then mailed to a young friend with mechanical aptitude.