Character Relationship Map: Cheaper to Marry

Characters

• Dick Tyler (played by Conrad Nagel) — protagonist

  A young man taken into the Wall Street brokerage firm of Knight & Tylor, Dick proposes to Doris and is accepted. When the firm's finances collapse, he faces the crisis alongside her and benefits from...

• Jim Knight (played by Lewis Stone) — supporting

  Dick’s older, more experienced partner at Knight & Tylor, Jim warns him that marriage will interfere with a young man’s business. He has squandered the firm’s surplus on Evelyn, his mistress, and seek...

• Evelyn (played by Paulette Duval) — supporting

  Doris’s old schoolmate, Evelyn hosts a dinner where Doris is impressed by her luxurious way of life. Dick discovers there that Evelyn is Jim Knight’s mistress. When Jim turns to her for help after spe...

• Flora (played by Louise Fazenda) — supporting

  Doris’s friend, Flora marries the banker who agrees to accept Dick’s personal note during the business crisis. She is one of the two newly married women whose situation is contrasted with Jim Knight’s...

• Doris (played by Marguerite De La Motte) — supporting

  An artist who accepts Dick Tyler’s marriage proposal, Doris is impressed by the luxurious life of her old schoolmate Evelyn but later acts to help Dick and the struggling firm. She pleads with a banke...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Jim Knight → Evelyn (Romantic Mistress) — Their affair is connected to Jim's personal and financial crisis.

  At Evelyn's dinner, Dick learns that Evelyn is Jim's mistress.

• Dick Tyler → Jim Knight (Professional Business Partner) — They share responsibility for the brokerage firm.

  Dick is taken into the Wall Street broker firm of Knight & Tylor, where Jim is his older and more experienced partner.

• Dick Tyler → Doris (Romantic Fiance) — Their engagement forms the film's central romantic relationship.

  Dick proposes to Doris, and she accepts his proposal.

Story Dynamics

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

• Evelyn → Doris (Social Former Schoolmate) — Their prior school connection brings Doris into Evelyn's social world.

  Evelyn gives a dinner attended by Doris, who is identified as Evelyn's old schoolmate.

• Doris → Flora (Social Friend) — Flora is part of Doris's close social circle.

  The plot identifies Flora as Doris's friend when the banker later marries Flora.

Story Analysis

A romantic business story contrasts supportive marriage with the destructive consequences of Jim's affair and financial irresponsibility.

Plot Progression

1. An Engagement Under Warning — Dick enters the brokerage firm and proposes to Doris, who accepts. Jim warns him that marriage may interfere with a young man's business.
2. Luxury And Hidden Affairs — Doris attends Evelyn's dinner and is impressed by her luxurious lifestyle. Dick discovers that Jim and Evelyn are involved in a secret affair.
3. The Firm's Financial Collapse — A crisis strikes Knight & Tylor, and the firm's squandered surplus is traced to Jim's spending on Evelyn. Evelyn refuses Jim's request for aid.
4. A Rescue Arrives Too Late — Doris persuades a banker to accept Dick's personal note, offering a possible rescue. When Dick and Doris return to tell Jim, they find that he has taken his own life.
5. The Marriage Verdict — The banker marries Flora, and the two couples compare their circumstances with Jim's experience. They conclude that marriage is better in every way and cheaper.