Character Relationship Map: Feuer!

Characters

• Karl Albrecht Schlick (played by Christoph Waltz) — protagonist

  A young student and the son of Ludwig Schlick, Karl rescues Eduard Pollet during the street fighting and hides him in his family's workshop. He loves Justina, but her father suspects him of stealing j...

• Pollet (played by Kurt Weinzierl) — protagonist

  Eduard Pollet is an army master fireworker who refuses the order to fire artillery on demonstrators. Karl Albrecht hides him, and he later shelters in a home for the unemployed before leaving Vienna....

• Anzenberg (played by Karl Merkatz) — supporting

  A jeweler and Justina's father, Anzenberg disapproves of Karl Albrecht and objects when Karl brings Eduard and Ferdinand to his home. After seeing Karl flee Justina's bedroom, he suspects him of steal...

• Ferdinand (played by Erwin Leder) — supporting

  Ferdinand is Eduard Pollet's nephew and lives in a home for the unemployed. Hiding from authorities, he is taken along by Karl to Anzenberg's reception, then flees Vienna after stealing jewelry and le...

• Ludwig Schlick (played by Jaromír Borek) — supporting

  Ludwig Schlick is Karl Albrecht's father and a member of the civic guard. He helps fight the uprising in the suburbs and later prepares to defend Vienna against imperial troops alongside his newly mar...

• Student (played by Ernst Josef Lauscher) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Pollet → Ferdinand (Family Uncle And Nephew) — Their family bond is complicated by Ferdinand's criminal flight and concealment.

  The plot states that Ferdinand is Pollet's nephew and that Pollet later travels to the village of his brother Martin, Ferdinand's father.

• Ludwig Schlick → Karl Albrecht Schlick (Family Father) — Ludwig is Karl Albrecht's father and shares his involvement in the city's defense.

  The plot identifies Ludwig Schlick as Karl Albrecht's father. Karl hides Pollet in the attic of his father's workshop, and both later prepare to defen...

Story Dynamics

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

• Pollet → Student (Unknown Revolutionary Context) — The two characters are connected by the revolutionary crisis, though no direct meeting is described.

  Pollet's refusal occurs during the demonstration and street fighting, while students later reject the government's constitutional draft during the sam...

• Karl Albrecht Schlick → Student (Social Political Peer) — Karl is associated with the student and bourgeois political milieu during the revolution.

  Karl celebrates the government's promised constitution with other bourgeois citizens, while the plot later describes students rejecting the government...

• Ferdinand → Anzenberg (Conflict Thief And Victim) — Ferdinand's theft indirectly causes Karl's arrest and intensifies the conflict around Anzenberg's family.

  After expensive jewelry disappears from Anzenberg's home, the plot reveals that Ferdinand was the actual jewelry thief, although Karl is initially sus...

• Karl Albrecht Schlick → Anzenberg (Conflict Political Opponents) — Their disagreement reflects the wider conflict between bourgeois privilege and revolutionary sympathies.

  At Anzenberg's reception, Anzenberg objects to having the unwanted guests in his house, and a political dispute develops between him and Karl.

• Karl Albrecht Schlick → Ferdinand (Alliance Temporary Associate) — Karl briefly includes Ferdinand within his circle despite their different social positions.

  Karl takes both Pollet and Ferdinand with him to the reception at Anzenberg's house.

• Ludwig Schlick → Pollet (Social Host) — Ludwig's workshop becomes Pollet's shelter, although the plot does not describe a direct personal conversation between them.

  Pollet is hidden in the attic of the workshop belonging to Karl's father, Ludwig Schlick.

• Karl Albrecht Schlick → Pollet (Alliance Rescuer And Protected Fugitive) — Karl protects Pollet after Pollet refuses to fire on the demonstrators.

  Karl rescues Pollet during the street fighting and hides him in the attic of his father's workshop.

Story Analysis

A revolutionary crisis exposes the divide between social classes and destroys individuals caught between conscience, authority, and political violence.

Plot Progression

1. Cannons Against the Crowd — Demonstrators gather at the Hofburg, but Pollet refuses to fire on them. Karl rescues him as the unrest spreads into the suburbs.
2. Promises Without Equality — The government promises constitutional reform and press freedom, yet workers and bourgeois citizens pursue sharply different goals. Political tensions surface at Anzenberg's reception.
3. The Cost of Suspicion — Pollet remains hidden while Karl is blamed for jewelry stolen by Ferdinand. The constitutional crisis deepens as students reject the government's draft.
4. Flight to a Dying Home — Pollet leaves Vienna after hearing of an amnesty and visits his dying brother. Ferdinand reaches the village but is arrested at his father's grave.
5. Uniform at the Barricades — Vienna prepares for imperial attack while Pollet returns for his uniform. Mistaken for an enemy soldier, he is shot, and the retaliation ends with Karl and Ferdinand's executions.