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Laura is a young woman living on a lavish gated estate. Considered the artistic sibling of the family, she displays a genuine curiosity about the laborers who set up the garden party. She questions the rigid societal norms of her upbringing and feels a natural sympathy for the working-class neighbors living at the bottom of the hill.
Daughter of Mrs. Sheridan
Sister of Jose
Sister of Laurie
Daughter of Mr. Sheridan
Sister of Meg
Sister of Hans
Sympathetic Neighbor of Mr. Scott
Client of The Workman
The matriarch of the wealthy Sheridan household enforces the family's upper-class values and orchestrates the lavish lifestyle within the estate gates. While she is loving and supportive of her children, she maintains firm boundaries regarding social class. She prioritizes the family's enjoyment and views outside tragedies as irrelevant to their day, trying to distract her daughter with a luxurious hat.
One of Laura's sisters, Jose fully embraces their mother's upper-class mindset and authoritative manner. She enjoys practicing a dramatic, melancholic persona for her singing performance but easily snaps back into her usual cheerful reality. She quickly dismisses the fatal accident down the hill, assuming the victim was drunk and blaming him for his own misfortune.
Sister of Laura
Daughter of Mrs. Sheridan
Sister of Laurie
Daughter of Mr. Sheridan
Sister of Meg
Sister of Hans
Laura's brother regularly leaves the estate to accompany their father to the office, giving him more exposure to the world outside the gates. He shares a particularly close bond with Laura and serves as a source of comfort for her. Despite his access to the wider world, he remains firmly rooted in his family's affluent lifestyle and primarily seeks to keep his sister happy.
The patriarch of the Sheridan family leaves the estate to work in the city. He inadvertently introduces the reality of the outside world into the post-party conversation by casually mentioning the fatal accident down the hill. He funds the extravagant lifestyle his wife and children enjoy.
A working-class man who lives in one of the less affluent cottages just outside the Sheridan family's gates. His sudden death from a horse-riding accident introduces the harsh reality of mortality to the Sheridan household's idyllic day. He leaves behind a wife and five children.
Husband of Mrs. Scott
Neighbor of Laura
The grieving widow of Mr. Scott lives in the poorer cottages at the bottom of the hill. Left to care for five children after her husband's sudden death, she faces immediate hardship on the same day as the Sheridans' lavish celebration. Her physical appearance and home environment drastically contrast with the wealth up the hill.
A woman assisting her grieving sister in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Scott's sudden death. She takes charge of the visitors and guides mourners through the small cottage during the wake, directing guests to view the body.
Sister of Mrs. Scott
Host to Laura
One of the laborers hired to prepare the Sheridan garden for the festivities. He casually uses slang and takes a moment to smell a sprig of lavender. This small act of appreciation heavily influences Laura, showing her that working-class individuals share her sensitivity to beauty.
Hired by Laura
A worker who services the Sheridan estate. He acts as a messenger between the working-class neighborhood and the wealthy family. By bringing news of the tragedy up the hill, he bridges the physical and social divide between the two worlds.
Informant to Laura
Informant to Jose
One of the Sheridan children. She participates in the wealthy, sheltered life behind the estate gates alongside her siblings. She enjoys the extravagant food and beautiful environment provided by her parents without questioning the social order.
Sister of Laura
Daughter of Mrs. Sheridan
Daughter of Mr. Sheridan
Sister of Jose
Sister of Laurie
Sister of Hans
A sibling in the Sheridan family who takes part in the idyllic, cloistered life on the estate. Like most of his family members, he remains detached from the working-class world outside the gates and accepts his privileged reality as normal.
Brother of Laura
Son of Mrs. Sheridan
Son of Mr. Sheridan
Brother of Jose
Brother of Laurie
Brother of Meg