Character Relationship Map: The Double

Characters

• Lucia (played by Ewa Aulin) — protagonist

  Frank's wife and a diplomat's daughter. Their marriage deteriorates due to Frank's paranoia, impotence, and sexual abuse. She uses birth control, which Frank throws out during a fight, and frequently...

• Giovanni (played by Jean Sorel) — protagonist

  Frank's brother who manages the family brick manufacturing factory in Rome. He pressures Frank, who lives off a trust fund, to help save the company from bankruptcy after the workers unionize.

• Roger (played by Silvano Tranquilli) — supporting

  Frank's friend who travels with his wife Marie. They meet Eddie in Morocco. Frank briefly fears Lucia is with Roger when she needs alone time, adding to his paranoia.

• Giovanni's Brother (played by Giacomo Rossi Stuart) — supporting

  Frank's sibling who oversees the family brick factory in Rome. He warns Frank about the risk of bankruptcy due to unionization and demands his participation in trying to save the business.

• Marie (played by Marilù Tolo) — supporting

  Roger's wife. She makes romantic advances toward Frank during the Morocco trip, which he rejects. Lucia notices these passes, adding to the marital tension and Frank's paranoia.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Giovanni's Brother → Giovanni (brother)
• Roger → Marie (Romantic Spouses) — Roger and Marie are married travel companions.

  The plot identifies Marie as Roger's wife, and the couple travels together during the Morocco trip.

Story Dynamics

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

• Lucia → Marie (Social Acquaintance) — Their shared trip becomes strained by Marie's behavior.

  Lucia travels with Marie in Morocco and observes Marie making romantic passes toward the architect.

• Lucia → Roger (Social Travel Companion) — Lucia knows Roger through the shared Morocco journey.

  Lucia and the architect are with Roger and Marie during their honeymoon in Morocco.

Story Analysis

A fragmented murder narrative reveals how obsession, abuse, concealment, and mistaken guilt lead to an inevitable death.

Plot Progression

1. A Life Coming Apart — The architect's failed career and family business crisis establish his dependence and instability. The story then shifts into fragmented memories of his marriage and travels.
2. Desire In Morocco — During the Morocco honeymoon, Lucia and the social group meet an American traveler. Attraction, jealousy, and the arrival of Lucia's mother destabilize the group.
3. Violence At Home — The architect's obsession becomes abuse toward Lucia and her mother. Marital arguments and sexual coercion push the relationship toward collapse.
4. The Hidden Murder — Back in Rome, the architect discovers the American's body and destroys it. His attempt to conceal the crime becomes entangled with a police inquiry.
5. The Killer Revealed — The mother's absence exposes the architect's unnecessary cover-up, while the American's obsessive former partner is identified as the killer. The stalker then turns on the architect.