Character Relationship Map: All Screwed Up

Characters

• Carletto (played by Nino Bignamini) — supporting

  One of the two young men from the country who arrive in Milan. He works in factories and later at a restaurant, repeatedly proposing to Adelina but facing rejections due to her financial and pragmatic...

• Mariuccia (played by Lina Polito) — supporting

  Sante's girlfriend who joins the group shortly after arriving in Milan. She gives birth to twins and later has multiple pregnancies, resulting in seven children. Her large family and financial struggl...

• Biki (played by Giuliana Calandra) — supporting

  An enterprising friend of Isotta who takes Adelina in and trains her as a maid. She manages the shared apartment in Milan and proposes renting out a spare room to Adelina to generate extra income, ref...

• Isotta (played by Isa Danieli) — supporting

  Adelina's cousin who arrives in Milan simultaneously. Initially helps the newcomers settle but later cuts off contact with the family. Unbeknownst to Adelina, Isotta secretly works as a prostitute to...

• Adelina (played by Sara Rapisarda) — supporting

  A newly arrived country girl from Sicily who is helped by Gino and Carletto to find her cousin Isotta. She is trained as a maid by Biki and lives with the group in Milan. Pragmatic and increasingly ci...

• Sante (played by Renato Rotondo) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

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

• Sante → Mariuccia (Romantic Partners) — They remain together as repeated pregnancies and financial pressure transform their plans.

  Sante arrives with his pregnant girlfriend Mariuccia, and they initially plan to stay only until they can establish themselves.

• Biki → Adelina (Professional Employer And Trainee) — Biki provides Adelina with practical training and a route into Milanese employment.

  Biki takes Adelina in and teaches her to work as a maid.

• Adelina → Isotta (Family Cousins) — Isotta is Adelina's family connection in the new city, although their contact later breaks down.

  Gino and Carletto help Adelina locate her cousin Isotta after both women arrive in Milan.

• Carletto → Adelina (Romantic Unrequited Suitor) — Carletto seeks a committed relationship while Adelina prioritizes economic security.

  Carletto repeatedly proposes to Adelina, but she rejects marriage because she considers it financially impractical.

Story Dynamics

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

• Carletto → Sante (Alliance Supportive Friend) — Carletto actively supports Sante when legal danger threatens the group.

  After Sante is arrested, Carletto tries to help him by defending him to the police.

• Biki → Isotta (Social Friend) — Their friendship forms part of the newcomers' informal support network.

  Biki is identified as Isotta's enterprising friend and is connected to Adelina's accommodation in Milan.

Story Analysis

Rural newcomers struggle to survive Milan as economic pressure reshapes friendship, intimacy, family, and moral responsibility.

Plot Progression

1. Country Arrivals — Gino and Carletto arrive in Milan and help Adelina find Isotta. The newcomers begin forming a precarious support network through work, family, and shared housing.
2. Crowded Shelter — Biki trains Adelina as a maid and the group settles into a shared apartment. Sante and Mariuccia join them, but the birth of twins turns temporary shelter into a lasting burden.
3. Love and Economics — Carletto repeatedly seeks marriage with Adelina, while she measures intimacy against employment and future savings. Their conflicting expectations expose the household's economic pressures.
4. Hidden Compromises — Gino secretly becomes a burglar, while Adelina's intimate life is shaped by coercion and financial calculation. Biki and Adelina also consider removing Sante and Mariuccia to earn rent.
5. Arrest and Disillusion — Sante is arrested after being used as a scapegoat in a fascist plot. Carletto discovers Gino's criminal past, considers escape, and finally returns to the demands of work.