byJohn Osborne presents the uneven marriage between blue-collar Jimmy and his upper-class wife Alison. Jimmy is hot-tempered and frequently argues with Alison, once even wishing that she would be become pregnant and that the child would die just to hurt her. Alison is pregnant at this time, but has not yet told her husband. Jimmy becomes angry because Alison's friend Helena is coming to visit, then again when Alison and Helena want to go to church. Helena convinces Alison to leave her abusive relationship at the same time Jimmy discovers that his best friend's father is dying. Jimmy forces Alison to make a choice between going to church with Helena and staying with him, but she leaves. Jimmy is unaware until the next day that she has left not only for church, but for good. Helena returns to Jimmy to tell him that Alison is pregnant, but ends up kissing him and becoming close with him. Alison returns when she miscarries to discover Helena and Jimmy's relationship. Jimmy cares little about losing the child. Helena realizes the terrible thing she has done and leaves. Alison fends off Jimmy's anger towards her by insisting that she is finally as broken and miserable as he once wished. Jimmy decides that she is right and treats her lovingly, in a way that was not seen before in the play.

The relationship between these two characters is characterized by an unevenness in their life experiences that cannot be overcome until the end. Jimmy feels that Alison has never experienced the difficulties of life or any tragedy, and Alison is unable to comprehend the reasons for her husband's constant anger. The solution to their difficult marriage is being forced onto more even terms. This is achieved by Alison leaving Jimmy, which makes him realize that he does love her, and then by Alison both losing the baby and seeing her husband's affair with her best friend, which together bring her to a state of anger and misery that Jimmy seemed always to be in. They can finally understand one another's emotions, and the play ends with them playing a silly game, having repaired their marriage through other forms of destruction.

The premise of the play is that Jimmy is lower-middle-class, both Helena and Alison are upper/middle-class, and most of their problems stem from this difference. Alison is less excitable and doesn't stir up as much trouble as Helena. The two women appear to be aligned in many ways and are supposedly friends, but Alison is more practical and is willing to walk away from Jimmy, whereas Helena seems willing to put up with his poor behavior. Alison betrays Jimmy by leaving him, but Helena betrays Alison by taking up with Jimmy. Where Alison is discouraged by the abuse she endures from Jimmy, it lights a fire in Helena. For example, once Alison has gone home with her father, the fight between Jimmy and Helena crosses the line, and they end up getting romantically involved. When act 3 begins, Helena has taken on Alison's role, and she is only able to see the error of her ways when Alison returns to see Jimmy. Neither of the women is especially important to Jimmy, as he isn't sad to see Helena leave and does not seem especially glad to have Alison return. They are similar in their station in life but different in how they handle Jimmy's behavior.

Alison and Helena both end up living with Jimmy Porter, Allison as his wife and Helena as his mistress. Allison and Helena are both upper-to-middle class, something that drives Jimmy crazy. In a way, both Alison and Helena rebel against their families by taking up with Jimmy, but Alison, it seems, actually loves him.

The greatest point of significance between Jimmy and Alison is that she can't relate to his feelings of anger and his mean treatment of herself and others because she is the product of her upper class background and therefore doesn't feel the cause for rage that Jimmy feels. Jimmy, on the other hand, is incensed by Alison's inability to perceive suffering in the class structure that enrages him and thinks of Alison as "fence sitting" because she can't make an emotional commitment to the suffering that she can't perceive.

The greatest point of significance between Helena and Alison is that they are both from upper class backgrounds and have the same percpectives (or lack thereof), which includes a religious devotion and church affilitation. They go to church together--suffering Jimmy's angry ridicule--when they visit together.

The greatest point between Alison and her father the Colonel is that (1) she rebelled against him in marrying Jimmy, though the Colonel tries to be accepting and not hold a grudge against his daughter, and (2) he warmly takes her in and gives her aid when she decides to leave Jimmy.