Character Relationship Map: Dear Mr. Prohack

Characters

• Arthur Prohack (played by Cecil Parker) — protagonist

  A frugal Treasury civil servant whose life changes when he inherits £250,000 and takes sick leave. His children seek money from him, while his wife spends freely; he also hires Mimi as his secretary....

• Mimi Warburton (played by Glynis Johns) — supporting

  A woman involved in an accident with Arthur's new car who later becomes his private secretary. She arranges for Arthur to take Charles's place at a meeting with Lady Maslam after Charles excludes him...

• Oswald Morfrey (played by Denholm Elliott) — supporting

  Mary's fiancé, described as a sickly but forthright junior official at the Ministry of Agriculture. He and Mary break away from her theatrical connections and marry without telling their parents. When...

• Sir Paul Spinner (played by Campbell Cotts) — supporting

  Arthur's friend, who arranges to invest some of Arthur's inherited money. When a stock-market run threatens the investment, Arthur fears the funds may be lost. Spinner's advice has also ruined Charles...

• Lady Maslam (played by Heather Thatcher) — supporting

  Charles's patroness, whom Arthur visits to ask for help. Mimi arranges for Arthur to attend a meeting with her in Charles's place. Later, Mimi fears Charles is about to flee to Paris with Lady Maslam,...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Arthur Prohack → Oswald Morfrey (Family Prospective Father-in-Law) — Arthur becomes connected to Oswald through the younger man's marriage into Arthur's family.

  Arthur hunts down the runaway couple after their marriage and later plans to help Oswald find a more stable home and job.

• Arthur Prohack → Mimi Warburton (Professional Employer And Secretary) — Mimi becomes Arthur's professional assistant during his brief life as a wealthy retiree.

  After their initial car accident encounter, Arthur takes Mimi on as his private secretary.

Story Dynamics

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

• Oswald Morfrey → Sir Paul Spinner (Unknown Indirect Financial Connection) — Their connection is indirect and formed through the consequences of Arthur's investments.

  Spinner's investment failure contributes to Arthur's financial crisis, which also affects Arthur's later plans to provide Oswald with a stable home an...

• Mimi Warburton → Oswald Morfrey (Alliance Shared Concern For Arthur) — Both characters are connected to Arthur's attempt to escape the damage caused by sudden wealth.

  Mimi warns Arthur about the impending financial ruin, while Oswald later becomes part of Arthur's plans to restore the family's stability.

• Mimi Warburton → Lady Maslam (Conflict Confrontation) — Mimi's urgent intervention brings her into conflict within Lady Maslam's household.

  Mimi argues about the doomed investment scheme at Lady Maslam's home while Arthur is seeking help there.

• Arthur Prohack → Lady Maslam (Alliance Seeks Patronage) — Arthur approaches Lady Maslam as a possible source of financial assistance.

  Arthur goes to Lady Maslam's home to beg for her help concerning the failing investment scheme.

• Arthur Prohack → Sir Paul Spinner (Social Friend) — Spinner is Arthur's trusted friend and financial adviser.

  The plot explicitly identifies Sir Paul Spinner as Arthur's friend, and Spinner arranges to invest some of Arthur's money.

Story Analysis

A frugal civil servant learns that sudden wealth can disrupt family, romance, responsibility, and personal stability before he restores a simpler moral order.

Plot Progression

1. Fortune Disrupts Routine — Arthur receives a large inheritance and leaves his frugal Treasury routine on sick leave. His family immediately transforms the household and begins treating the money as available for ambitious proje...
2. A Secretary and New Entanglements — A car accident brings Mimi into Arthur's life as his private secretary. Professional resentment, an engineered meeting, and Mimi's growing attachment to a younger man complicate the household's new we...
3. Family Escape and Financial Risk — Arthur's friend Spinner invests part of the inheritance while a planned engagement celebration collapses. The young couple elope, and Arthur's attempt to help is rejected.
4. The Fortune in Peril — A stock-market run threatens Arthur's investment and Mimi confirms that the wider scheme is failing. Arthur retreats into illness and feverish fantasy as the consequences of sudden wealth close in.
5. Misunderstanding and Restoration — Mimi's warning sends Arthur to the airport, where the supposed escape proves to be a misunderstanding. Spinner's hidden success, family reconciliation, and Arthur's anonymous Treasury donation restore...