Character Relationship Map: When Love Grows Cold

Characters

• Margaret Benson (played by Natacha Rambova) — protagonist

  Margaret gives up her stage career to marry Jerry Benson. When Jerry fails to persuade the oil company board to approve his plans, she presents them successfully, helping the family gain wealth and Je...

• Jerry Benson (played by Clive Brook) — supporting

  Jerry is Margaret's husband, a dreamer whose plans initially fail to win approval from the oil company board until Margaret presents them. He becomes a company official, but is ruined in the stock mar...

• William Graves (played by Sam Hardy) — supporting

  Graves is president of the oil firm and covets Margaret. He uses Gloria to lure Jerry away from his wife and plots to break up the Benson home. He also ruins Jerry in the stock market, but Gloria even...

Canonical Relationships

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

• William Graves → Margaret Benson (Romantic Illicit Suitor) — Graves desires Margaret and seeks to remove Jerry from her life.

  The plot states that Graves covets Margaret and uses the chorus girl in an attempt to break up the Benson home.

• Margaret Benson → Jerry Benson (Family Wife) — Margaret and Jerry are married spouses whose relationship drives the central domestic conflict.

  Margaret Benson gives up her stage career to marry Jerry Benson, and they establish a household together.

Story Dynamics

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

• William Graves → Jerry Benson (Conflict Corporate Adversary) — Graves attacks Jerry's financial position and personal stability.

  Graves ruins Jerry in the stock market as part of his effort to break up the Benson marriage.

Story Analysis

A marriage survives ambition, manipulation, infidelity, and financial ruin when Jerry finally recognizes Margaret's loyalty.

Plot Progression

1. Marriage Before Fortune — Margaret abandons her stage career to marry Jerry. When Jerry fails to win approval for his plans, Margaret steps forward and succeeds before the company board.
2. Success and Suspicion — The approved plans bring wealth and make Jerry a company official. Graves, the firm president, begins plotting against the Benson marriage because he covets Margaret.
3. The Marriage Under Attack — Graves uses a chorus girl to lure Jerry away from Margaret and ruins Jerry in the stock market. Jerry's infatuation deepens as the marriage becomes increasingly unstable.
4. The Home Breaks Apart — Jerry brings the chorus girl home, and Margaret catches her attempting to compromise him. Jerry sides with the other woman, causing Margaret to leave.
5. Loyalty Restored — The scheme against the Bensons is exposed, and Jerry recognizes Margaret's loyalty. He returns in time to save their child, allowing the couple to reconcile.