Relative Value story
John Manbridge plots to murder his cousin Felix in the hopes of inheriting his fortune. Felix, who is secretly terminally ill, commits suicide by poisoned whiskey first, and John unwittingly drinks the poisoned whiskey as well, also killing himself. Directed by: Paul Almond. Story by: Milward Kennedy, Frances Cockrell.
11 total · 5 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| human familial relationship | major | John plotted to knock off his cousin Felix in the hopes of inheriting his fortune. |
| law enforcement | major | Constable Longdon and a police inspector got to the bottom of what initially appeared to be an open and shut homicide. |
| murder | major | John bashed Felix' head in with a fire iron, not knowing that Felix was already dead. |
| poetic justice | major | John bashed Felix' head in and drank Felix' whiskey. By an ironic twist of fate, Felix had actually killed himself and the whiskey was poisoned, thus killing the putative killer. |
| problem gambling | major | Because of his gambling problem John plotted to murder Felix and gain his inheritance. Felix accused John of squandering money on booze and gambling. John had indeed forged checks in order to cover his gambling. |
| coping with a terminal illness | minor | Felix had an unspecified terminal illness and three months to live. He decided to kill himself instead. |
| coping with having a lousy dead-end job | minor | In his monologue, Alfred Hitchcock feigned to try out the lowly and demeaning profession of "sandwich board ad" boy. |
| criminal fraud | minor | Felix chastised John for forging Felix' signature on a check. |
| master and servant | minor | The butler or manservant Mr. Betts spoke to his masters, John and Felix, about the vacation he was going on. |
| pervasive marketing in society | minor | In his monologue, Alfred Hitchcock spoke about ads and their pervasiveness in society. |