Character Relationship Map: Starred Up

Characters

• Eric Love (played by Jack O'Connell) — protagonist

  A violent 19-year-old transferred to a high-security adult prison. He initially attacks staff and inmates but is guided into therapy by Oliver. He struggles with his domineering father Neville, discov...

• Neville Love (played by Ben Mendelsohn) — protagonist

  Eric's father and a senior inmate serving a life sentence. He acts as a lieutenant for the prison's crime boss, demands Eric obey rules, and is uncomfortable with his son's emotional outbursts. After...

• Oliver Baumer (played by Rupert Friend) — supporting

  A volunteer prison therapist who intervenes to protect Eric from guard retaliation. He facilitates a therapy group for inmates with violent histories, skillfully de-escalating conflicts to help them c...

• Des (played by Gershwyn Eustache Jnr) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

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

• Oliver Baumer → Des (Professional Group Facilitator) — Oliver leads the therapeutic setting in which Des participates.

  Oliver facilitates a therapy group that includes black inmates with violent pasts, and the group members confront their rage during his sessions.

• Eric Love → Neville Love (Family Son) — A deeply hostile but ultimately protective father-son relationship.

  The plot explicitly identifies Neville as Eric's father. Their relationship drives the conflict between Eric's violence, Neville's demands for obedien...

Story Dynamics

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

• Neville Love → Oliver Baumer (Unknown Indirect Influence) — Neville indirectly supports Oliver's authority over Eric's rehabilitation.

  Neville orders Eric to learn to behave from the therapist, while Oliver is the therapist who guides Eric through the group.

• Des → Eric Love (Social Fellow Inmate) — Des is connected to Eric through the therapy group and its mutual protection.

  The plot states that one of Eric's black therapy-group members intervenes when three inmates attempt to dunk Eric in a toilet; Des is the listed group...

• Eric Love → Oliver Baumer (Therapeutic Alliance) — Oliver gives Eric a structured alternative to retaliatory violence.

  Oliver protects Eric from guard retaliation and convinces him to join the therapy group.

Story Analysis

A violent young prisoner gradually encounters therapy, family conflict, and sacrificial protection inside a brutal prison hierarchy.

Plot Progression

1. A Violent Arrival — Eric is transferred into a high-security adult prison and immediately attacks guards and inmates. Oliver prevents retaliation and directs him toward the therapy group.
2. Learning Through Rage — Eric enters Oliver's group, where inmates with violent histories confront one another. Although sessions repeatedly become hostile, Eric begins observing the process and bonding with the members.
3. Family Pressure — Neville orders Eric to behave and follow prison rules. After a paid toilet attack, Eric tries to discuss his feelings and becomes disgusted by what he infers about Neville's intimate life.
4. The Death Sentence — The prison crime boss appears to mentor Eric, but Eric attacks him during a conflict involving Neville. The crime boss responds by ordering the prison director to have Eric killed.
5. A Father's Defiance — Guards try to make Eric's murder look like suicide in the basement. Neville rejects the order, defeats the attacker, rescues Eric, and shares a tender moment with him before his transfer.