Set in Brumley, North Midlands, 1912, 2 years prior to WW 1 and the backdrop of industrialisation, An Inspector Calls presents Mr.Birling as a prosperous businessman who represents capitalism and the rising bourgeois society. Life is shown to revolve around the issues related to money, social aspirations, pride, arrogance, complacency, social superiority, ego, relationships, social hierarchy etc.