'Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty'

Joe avoided taking responsibility for selling the faulty fighter plane parts by pinning the blame on his business partner, but eventually he must face up to his role in the deaths of 21 American pilots - one of whom, in theory, could have been his son Larry, who went missing in action during the war. Miller thus addresses the theme of social as well as personal responsibility - whether or not Joe is to blame for his son's death, by knowingly selling the faulty parts, he is responsible for somebody's son's death. Joe is ultimately never able to bring himself to accept responsibility, culminating in a decision to take his own life rather than face accountability.

But could Trump still be the next US president? The former president's criminal conviction may not prevent his return to the White House.

Is America responsible? Food shortages in Gaza have reached crisis point, but there is strong disagreement about who is to blame for supplies not getting through.

Can we ever stop inhuman acts? The Greek coastguard stands
accused of deliberately drowning desperate migrants. It is making some lose their faith in the good of humanity.

Kate Keller, who is referred to only as "Mother" in the stage notes, knows of her husband's crime and grasps the implication that his actions were, indirectly, responsible for Larry's death. She initially avoids responsibility for her complicity in concealing the crime by engaging in the self-delusion that Larry is still alive. This involves indulging in horoscopesA forecast of someone's future based upon the positions of the stars and planets at the time of their birth. and superstitiously reading meaning into natural events. By appealing to forces outside of human control, she is able to avoid taking personal responsibility. However, towards the end of the play, Kate liberates herself from self-deception by facing up to her responsibility.

Is honesty overrated? A writer grew up in a family that never
lied. At first, it seemed the right way to behave. But soon he found
lying made life easier.

Does objective reality exist? Some physicists in the sphere of quantum mechanics argue that reality only exists in the eye of the observer. But could something so contrary to our instinct really be true?

Is democracy its biggest victim? We have long believed that the
key to a free society is rational discussion in search of truth. Now
some fear truth is dead - and freedom with it.

Joe defends himself by claiming to have been acting only in the interests of his family. The Kellers have risen to attain a comfortable middle-class socio-economic status and would have been financially ruined if he had admitted to his crime and gone to jail. Joe claims that nothing done in the interests of one's family can ever be wrong. He is outraged when his surviving son Chris suggests that he might prioritise his relationship with Annie Deever over the family. It becomes clear over the course of the play that Joe's obsession with the family is part the elaborate belief structure that he has created to avoid the acceptance of responsibility.

Is maternal love what makes
us unique? The amazing story of Qafzeh, aged 13, who lived 100,000 years ago, raises profound questions about the origins and power of human devotion.

Gaza is starving says United Nations director

Is it possible to be happy and successful? Elon Musk is one of
the richest people in history, an amazing entrepreneur and a dazzling thinker. But he struggles with relationships.

Is the world running out of children? Women across the globe are
having fewer babies. Now, governments are racing to reverse the trend before the world faces demographic collapse.

By pinning responsibility on his business partner, Joe Keller had been able to take full control of the business, suggesting that he was motivated by personal enrichment rather than just the goal of saving his family from bankruptcy. Miller thus suggests that Joe Keller, like Kate, is engaging in self-deception by claiming to be acting for the family. Joe also defends himself by insisting that everyone was profiteering during the war. Miller therefore uses the play to question the morality of private profit, a theme that would recur in his later works.

Should there be a limit to wealth? Right now the world's rich
and powerful are meeting in Switzerland. Some think we would all be better off without them.

Should there be a universal basic income? AI is changing the
world of work. Some believe we will only avoid disaster with a bold new
safety net.

Is inequality destroying Planet Earth? The world's most powerful
people are gathering in Switzerland this week. Some hope to persuade
them to clamp down on the top 1%.

The characters in this play who avoid the pitfalls of self-deception and accept reality are invariably presented in a more favourable light than those who lie and deceive to avoid taking responsibility. Ann Deever, who had been in a relationship with Larry, has accepted his death and unlike the Kellers is straightforward and honest about this in her conversations with Kate. The value of honesty can also be seen in Kate's narrative. Early in the play, she pledges to take her own life if Larry is confirmed dead, but as she ultimately confronts her self-deception and accepts responsibility, this fate instead falls to Joe, who had never been able to do so. Miller thus presents honesty - to oneself as well as to society - as key to achieving the good life.

Do these goals still work today? More than 60 years after his death, modern research suggests the famous Swiss psychiatrist was right about the good life.

Is the truth overrated? In a new breakthrough, scientists have
created software that will soon be able to detect nearly all lies. Could
humanity survive if lying were impossible? 

Is control our deepest desire? A new survey finds that all
people truly want is a nice house and enough time to do the gardening. But is this really the key to happiness?