Character Relationship Map: Hoffman

Characters

• Mr. Hoffman (played by Peter Sellers) — protagonist

  Mr. Hoffman is a recently divorced executive at the firm where Miss Smith works. He blackmails her into spending a week with him by claiming to possess evidence that could send Tom Mitchell to jail. A...

• Miss Smith (played by Sinéad Cusack) — supporting

  Miss Smith is Tom Mitchell's young and inexperienced fiancée, who is coerced into staying with Mr. Hoffman after he threatens Tom with possible imprisonment. She initially submits, then fights back an...

• Tom Mitchell (played by Jeremy Bulloch) — supporting

  Tom Mitchell is Miss Smith's fiancé and the person endangered by Mr. Hoffman's alleged evidence. After receiving an anonymous call, he finds Miss Smith at Hoffman's flat and takes her away. He later j...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Mr. Hoffman → Miss Smith (Romantic Coercive Suitor) — His controlling courtship provokes repeated arguments; by the ending, her rejection softens but their relationship remains unresolved.

  Mr. Hoffman tries to unsettle Miss Smith with suggestive remarks, later admits that he has loved her for eighteen months and two weeks, and says he wa...

• Miss Smith → Tom Mitchell (Romantic Fiancés) — Their engagement is endangered by Tom's involvement with thieves and Mr. Hoffman's knowledge of it.

  The character profile identifies Tom as Miss Smith's fiancé, and the plot describes her belief that he used money toward a house and wedding.

Story Dynamics

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

• Mr. Hoffman → Tom Mitchell (Conflict Threatening Adversaries) — Hoffman's knowledge of Tom's dealings gives him leverage and makes Tom's possible imprisonment a threat hanging over the story.

  Mr. Hoffman says Tom passed information about the firm's cigarette deliveries to thieves for money and insists he will make sure Tom does not do it ag...

Story Analysis

A tense week of coercion, concealed information, and arguments shifts when Hoffman admits his love and Miss Smith's rejection begins to soften.

Plot Progression

1. A Week Begins Uneasily — Tom says goodbye to Miss Smith, who soon stays at Hoffman's home. Hoffman uses suggestive remarks and commands while she resists and searches for a way out.
2. Forced Outings and Friction — Hoffman takes Miss Smith to a restaurant and insists on a walk despite her protests and injured heel. Their uneasy interactions continue under an imbalance of control.
3. Tom's Secret Comes to Light — Hoffman reveals that Tom passed information about cigarette deliveries to thieves in exchange for money. Miss Smith learns that the money went toward a house and wedding, and she is angered by Hoffman...
4. A Personal Reckoning — The quarrels become more personal as Miss Smith accuses Hoffman of deceiving and belittling her. Hoffman insists he has respected her and finally explains that his behavior came from a long-standing l...
5. An Unresolved Good Morning — Miss Smith tells Hoffman to leave, but stops him on their final morning. She accepts breakfast in bed, leaving their relationship changed but unresolved.