Character Relationship Map: Working Man

Characters

• Allery Parkes (played by Peter Gerety) — protagonist

  A veteran worker at New Liberty Plastics, Allery collects his final pay after the factory closes and faces an uncertain future. He leads the former workers back into the plant to complete outstanding...

• Walter Brewer (played by Billy Brown) — supporting

  A dismissed New Liberty Plastics worker and former coworker of Allery, Walter initially seems unsure what to do after the closure. His attachment to the work, factory, machines, and people becomes inc...

• Benny Mendez (played by J. Salome Martinez) — supporting

  A dismissed New Liberty Plastics worker, Benny collects his final pay alongside Allery and Walter after the factory abruptly closes. He is among the former employees involved in the workers' return to...

• Stan Gordman (played by Bobby Richards) — supporting

  A representative of the company, Stan arrives at the occupied factory to say that management wants to talk. Allery refuses to meet on the company's terms and tells him to return when management is rea...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Allery Parkes → Benny Mendez (Professional Coworkers In The Occupation) — Benny and Allery are former plant workers who take part in the effort to resume production after the closure.

  Benny is among the dismissed employees collecting final pay with Allery, and the former workers later return to the plant to restart production.

Story Dynamics

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

• Allery Parkes → Stan Gordman (Conflict Negotiation Adversaries) — Stan conveys management's approach, while Allery insists that any discussion address the workers collectively and take place on acceptable terms.

  Stan arrives as the company's representative and says management wants to talk. Allery refuses to meet on the company's terms and tells Stan to return...

• Allery Parkes → Walter Brewer (Social Supportive Coworkers) — Their shared loss and their conversations bring Allery closer to Walter, and the workers' care for Walter becomes visible when he is injured.

  After the factory closes, Allery and Walter talk with the other dismissed workers. When Walter gets drunk and injures himself, the others help him and...

Story Analysis

After a factory closure, Allery and his fellow workers occupy the plant in an effort to complete orders and press for negotiation, but their future remains unresolved when reopening fails.

Plot Progression

1. The Factory Goes Dark — New Liberty Plastics closes abruptly, leaving its workers with little notice and no meaningful severance. Allery and Walter face an uncertain future as their attachment to the plant and their fellow w...
2. Production Against the Odds — Rather than leave the factory behind, the workers return and restart production to complete outstanding orders. Their occupation aims to pressure Hatwell Corporation to negotiate and reopen the plant.
3. An Unsteady Standoff — The workers gather supplies and generators while public attention turns to their action. Walter's distress over the discarded machines and workers escalates into drunkenness and an injury, prompting t...
4. Terms of Negotiation — Stan arrives saying management wants to talk, but Allery refuses to meet on the company's terms. The workers initially read this contact as a sign that their pressure may be succeeding.
5. The Unresolved Walkout — The hoped-for reopening never happens, and Allery says the workers must face the truth and leave. Others still insist they can finish the orders and force the company to return what it took, leaving t...