Character Relationship Map: Thieves

Characters

• Sally Cramer (played by Marlo Thomas) — protagonist

  A schoolteacher in her 30s married to Martin. Struggling in a marital rut, she attempts to adopt her troubled student Carlton. After discovering Martin's affair and finding a dead doorman in their apa...

• Martin Cramer (played by Charles Grodin) — protagonist

  A school principal and Sally's husband. Disillusioned, he has a brief affair with a neighbor. After breaking into a closed theater and being chased by police with a gun, he reunites with Sally, fires...

• Devlin (played by Ian Martin) — minor
• Perez (played by Santos Morales) — minor
• Gordon (played by John McMartin) — supporting

  A man Sally meets in the park. He invites her to his apartment, but reveals he is married with children and cannot get a divorce, leading them to agree to remain friends.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Sally Cramer → Gordon (Romantic Potential Romance) — Gordon briefly represents a possible alternative relationship during Sally's separation.

  Sally phones Gordon after meeting him in the park, and he invites her to his apartment for a pleasant conversation.

• Sally Cramer → Martin Cramer (Family Spouse) — They are married partners whose relationship forms the central emotional conflict.

  The plot explicitly identifies Sally and Martin as a married couple living together in an Upper East Side apartment.

Story Dynamics

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

• Martin Cramer → Devlin (Social Building Resident And Doorman) — They are connected through the apartment building, though the plot gives them little direct interaction.

  Devlin is identified as the building's doorman, while Martin lives in the apartment building where Devlin's body is later found.

• Sally Cramer → Devlin (Narrative Body Discoverer) — Devlin's death becomes a crisis that Sally must manage.

  Sally returns to the apartment, discovers that Devlin is dead, and phones the police after arranging for his body to be moved.

• Martin Cramer → Perez (Unknown Witness) — Perez directly informs Martin about the changed status of the theater.

  During Martin's return to the old theater, Perez tells him that the theater is now a church.

Story Analysis

A deteriorating marriage confronts betrayal, lost time, and escalating danger before its partners choose reconciliation and flight.

Plot Progression

1. A Marriage Losing Its Shape — Sally and Martin live in an underfurnished apartment and argue over idealism, parenthood, and taking in a troubled student. Sally's pregnancy turns dissatisfaction into a decision to seek divorce.
2. Separate Doors Open — Sally explores a possible connection with Gordon, but his existing family makes a relationship impossible. Martin begins an affair while the couple remains separated.
3. The Past Turns Dangerous — Sally discovers stolen goods and Martin's infidelity. Martin searches for the furniture from their former home, revisits their first-date theater, and flees after drawing a gun.
4. Time Becomes the Thief — Sally seeks help with the abortion decision and learns that she has been counting her age incorrectly. The revelation gives personal meaning to the time she believes she has lost.
5. Sirens at the Door — Sally finds Devlin dead and tries to manage the crisis before the police arrive. Martin returns, forces a final confrontation, and ultimately reunites with Sally in flight.