Character Relationship Map: Neighbors

Characters

• The Boy (played by Buster Keaton) — protagonist

  Young lover who defies his family feud to marry The Girl. He sneaks through a fence, gets tied to a clothesline, endures wedding sabotage, and uses trapeze skills to rescue her, finally marrying her i...

• The Girl (played by Virginia Fox) — protagonist

  Young lover entangled in a family feud with The Boy. She exchanges letters through a fence, endures a disrupted wedding due to her father discovering a cheap ring, and is rescued by The Boy to finally...

• The Judge (played by Jack Duffy) — minor

  Presides over the families court dispute, rules against family interference, and pronounces The Boy and The Girl husband and wife after they slide into his coal cellar.

Canonical Relationships

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

• The Judge → The Girl (Professional Marriage Officiant) — The Judge ultimately formalizes The Girl's marriage to The Boy.

  After The Boy and The Girl slide into The Judge's coal cellar, The Judge immediately pronounces them husband and wife.

• The Boy → The Judge (Professional Court Petitioner) — The Boy brings his marriage claim before The Judge.

  The Boy appears before The Judge and demands the right to marry The Girl during the families' court dispute.

• The Boy → The Girl (Romantic Lovers) — They maintain a committed romantic relationship despite family opposition.

  The Boy and The Girl are young lovers who exchange love letters through holes in the fence and insist on marrying despite their families' feud.

Story Analysis

Two young lovers overcome a feud between their families through persistence, physical ingenuity, and a final judicial marriage.

Plot Progression

1. Letters Across the Fence — The Boy and The Girl live in facing tenements and sustain their romance through letters exchanged across a fence. Their families oppose the relationship and demand that they stay apart.
2. Aerial Punishment — The Boy sneaks into The Girl's bedroom but is caught and tied to a clothesline. The continuing family quarrel intensifies the pressure on the lovers.
3. Judgment for the Lovers — The families bring their dispute to court, where The Boy demands the right to marry The Girl. The Judge rules that the families must not interfere.
4. The Wedding Unravels — The wedding day begins under hostile conditions and is repeatedly delayed by The Boy's broken belt and falling pants. The discovery of the cheap ring causes the wedding to be cancelled.
5. Escape to the Coal Cellar — The Boy organizes a trapeze rescue with help from his groomsmen and escapes with The Girl. Their slide into The Judge's coal cellar leads directly to their marriage.