The turning point, also known as the climax, in All My Sons occurs when Chris Keller confronts his father, Joe, in the backyard after George figures out that Joe evaded responsibility for selling defective aircraft engines. This evasion meant that his partner, Steve Deever—the father of George and Ann—took the full blame and was sent to prison.

Although Joe admits he shared in the responsibility, he refuses to consider himself guilty or responsible for the deaths of the pilots who flew in planes with those engines. Very early the next morning, the play is resolved. Chris informs his father that he has decided to leave home. Joe finally admits he is guilty of contributing to the pilots’ deaths. He then enters the house and dies by suicide, which is indicated by the sound of a gunshot.

For years before the play’s action begins and for the period the play covers up to the climactic scene, Joe pretended he did not know the engines were defective. In addition, the family managed to retain some faith that Larry, Chris’s brother, was missing in action rather than dead. After Chris confronts Joe, Ann produces a letter that Larry wrote in which he stated his knowledge of his father’s guilt and willingness to end his life. This last piece of information is also key to the resolution, because Joe must admit that he contributed to his own son’s death. That admission was too heavy a burden, leading him to choose suicide.