Character Relationship Map: Being Human

Characters

• Hector (played by Robin Williams) — protagonist

  Central reincarnating soul across five lifetimes: a caveman, a Roman slave, a Scottish crusader, a Renaissance Portuguese master, and a modern New Yorker. He struggles with cowardly indecision and a p...

• Priest (played by Robert Carlyle) — supporting

  Portrays Hector's master in ancient Rome who orders Hector to commit suicide, and later reincarnates as a crusader traveling alongside Hector. He faces a moral dilemma about his future path, ultimatel...

• Raider (played by Irvine Allen) — supporting

  Portrays one of the raiders responsible for stealing the caveman's family in the first incarnation. In the Renaissance life, a previous incarnation of this raider becomes the steadfast friend of Hecto...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Hector → Priest (Power Master And Slave) — Their Roman relationship is defined by ownership, coercion, and unequal power.

  In the Roman incarnation, Hector is a slave owned by a foolish master. The master orders Hector to kill himself after losing his fortune.

Story Dynamics

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

• Priest → Raider (Alliance Shared Support Network) — Both recurring figures participate in the support surrounding Hector's final confrontation with his past.

  In modern life, Hector is supported by both his former master, friend, and soul mate and the husband connected to the raider from earlier lifetimes.

• Hector → Raider (Conflict Family Adversary) — Raider is connected to the central loss that haunts Hector across lifetimes.

  In the first incarnation, raiders take Hector's family away after his cowardice and hesitation.

Story Analysis

Across five incarnations, Hector repeatedly confronts cowardly indecision while seeking the family he lost and the strength to face his past.

Plot Progression

1. The Family He Lost — Hector's first incarnation ends when raiders take his family after his hesitation. His wife's warning becomes a lasting emotional burden.
2. Chains and Forgetfulness — As a Roman slave, Hector serves a desperate master and is ordered to die with him. Hector wants freedom but becomes distracted by new love.
3. Duties Across Scotland — Hector returns as a Scottish crusader traveling toward his children. He encounters his soul mate and must choose between competing forms of family duty.
4. The Shipwrecked Master — In Renaissance Portugal and Africa, Hector's social position reverses as he becomes a master. Familiar relationships return in altered forms and expose his indecision.
5. Strength in New York — Modern Hector faces the consequences of cowardly indecision. Recurring companions support him as he finally addresses the children lost across lifetimes.