Character Relationship Map: Let Us Live

Characters

• Mary Roberts (played by Maureen O'Sullivan) — protagonist

  A waitress engaged to taxi driver Brick Tennant, Mary refuses to abandon him after he and Joe Linden are convicted of a murder they did not commit. She discovers a bullet connected to another robbery...

• "Brick" Tennant (played by Henry Fonda) — supporting

  A taxi driver engaged to Mary Roberts, Brick is wrongly accused with his friend Joe Linden of a theater robbery murder and sentenced to die, despite being at church with Mary when the crime occurred....

• Lieutenant Everett (played by Ralph Bellamy) — supporting

  A police lieutenant whom Mary Roberts convinces that Brick and Joe Linden may have been wrongly convicted. He joins Mary in searching for the real culprits, and their investigation succeeds on the day...

• District Attorney (played by Stanley Ridges) — supporting

  The district attorney pursues a conviction against Brick Tennant and Joe Linden after a witness identifies them as the killers in the theater robbery murder. Eager to secure a conviction, he brings th...

• Joe Linden (played by Alan Baxter) — supporting

  Brick Tennant's friend, Joe is accused alongside him of the theater robbery murder after a witness identifies them as the killers. Though innocent, he is convicted and sentenced to die with Brick. Mar...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Mary Roberts → "Brick" Tennant (Romantic Fiancee)

  The plot states that Brick is on the eve of his marriage to Mary Roberts.

Story Dynamics

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

• Lieutenant Everett → District Attorney (Conflict Institutional Counterforce)

  Everett accepts Mary's claim that the wrong men have been convicted and investigates the real culprits, opposing the prosecution's conclusion.

• Mary Roberts → District Attorney (Conflict Opponent)

  Mary refuses to give up hope after the prosecution secures convictions and works to prove that the wrong men were convicted.

• District Attorney → Joe Linden (Conflict Legal Adversary)

  Joe is included among the accused taxi drivers brought to trial and is convicted and sentenced to die.

• District Attorney → "Brick" Tennant (Conflict Legal Adversary)

  The district attorney, eager for a conviction, brings the taxi drivers to trial, and Brick is found guilty and sentenced to die.

• Mary Roberts → Joe Linden (Alliance Shared Cause)

  Mary's effort to uncover the truth is explicitly intended to prove both Joe and Brick innocent.

• Lieutenant Everett → Joe Linden (Alliance Advocate)

  The plot says Everett and Mary search for the real culprits to prove both Brick and Joe innocent.

• Lieutenant Everett → "Brick" Tennant (Alliance Advocate)

  Everett joins Mary in searching for the real culprits in order to prove Brick and Joe innocent.

• Mary Roberts → Lieutenant Everett (Alliance Investigation Partner)

  Mary convinces Lieutenant Everett that the wrong men have been convicted, and the two search for the real culprits.

• "Brick" Tennant → Joe Linden (Social Friend)

  The plot explicitly identifies Joe Linden as Brick's friend and says both men are accused and convicted together.

Story Analysis

A wrongful conviction destroys Brick's faith in the justice system even after Mary and Everett uncover the truth and save his life.

Plot Progression

1. A Wedding Interrupted
2. Justice Turns Hostile
3. Evidence Against Despair
4. The Race For Truth
5. A Life, Not Restoration