Character Relationship Map: Surrender

Characters

• Sergeant Dumaine (played by Warner Baxter) — protagonist

  A French sergeant held as a prisoner of war in Germany, Dumaine is an electrical engineer whose courage earns him a chance to wire the Reichendorf castle. His work brings him close to Axelle, and thei...

• Captain Ebbing (played by Ralph Bellamy) — supporting

  Ebbing is the strict, disfigured commandant of the prison camp. He courts Axelle, but she rejects him and says she is engaged to Dietrich. He assigns Dumaine to wire the castle, then orders him execut...

• Count Reichendorf (played by C. Aubrey Smith) — supporting

  A proud Prussian nobleman and military general, Count Reichendorf lives in a castle near the prison camp. He mourns the loss of three sons in the war and pins his hopes on his surviving son, Dietrich,...

• Fichet (played by George Beranger) — supporting

  Fichet is one of the French prisoners who escapes with Dumaine and other inmates by overpowering the guards. The escapees break into the Reichendorf castle and take refuge there, but Axelle discovers...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Count Reichendorf → Sergeant Dumaine (Power Prisoner Authority) — The count's military position connects him to the camp and its prisoners.

  The prison camp is located near Reichendorf's castle, and the count is forced to recruit military men from the prison camp.

• Fichet → Captain Ebbing (Power Guarded Prisoner) — Ebbing's command structure places Fichet under prison authority.

  Fichet is one of the prisoners placed under Ebbing's command and involved in the escape that overpowers the guards.

• Sergeant Dumaine → Captain Ebbing (Power Prisoner-Commandant) — Ebbing exercises direct institutional power over Dumaine as a prisoner.

  Dumaine is held in Ebbing's prison camp, and Ebbing controls his assignments, punishment, and attempted execution.

Story Dynamics

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

• Sergeant Dumaine → Fichet (Alliance Escape Partner) — They cooperate directly in the prisoners' escape attempt.

  Dumaine, Fichet, and other prisoners overpower guards and escape before taking refuge in the castle.

Story Analysis

A French prisoner and a castle ward find personal freedom only after war, authority, and military identity collapse.

Plot Progression

1. Captivity Beside the Castle — Dumaine is held in a World War I prison camp near Reichendorf's castle. Military authority, family loss, and Ebbing's unwanted courtship establish the central pressures.
2. Escape and Unexpected Valor — Dumaine and Fichet join a prisoner breakout, but the escape fails when the men are discovered in the castle. Dumaine later risks himself to extinguish a kitchen fire.
3. Work Behind Enemy Walls — Ebbing rewards Dumaine's bravery with an electrical assignment inside the castle. The work brings Dumaine closer to the household and leads to growing trust.
4. Jealousy at the Breaking Point — News of a German victory divides the characters' hopes, while prisoners resent Dumaine's privileged position. The exposed romance intensifies jealousy and drives Dumaine toward execution.
5. Armistice and Release — Ebbing reverses the execution decision as the Armistice suspends prison discipline. His loss of military purpose ends in suicide, while Dumaine's romance can resume.