The First and the Last: A Drama in Three Scenes

In Short

This play is a taut, three-scene character study centered on an accidental killing and the divergent paths taken by two brothers: Larry, the erratic, sensitive soul who committed the crime, and Keith, a rising King’s Counsel obsessed with preserving his social and professional standing. As Larry struggles with the guilt of an innocent man facing execution for his deed, Keith attempts to manipulate the outcome to save his own career. It remains a powerful work for its unflinching look at human fragility and the crushing weight of institutional morality.

The Story

The drama begins in the study of Keith Darrant, a man defined by discipline and the pursuit of a judgeship. His peace is shattered when his brother, Larry, arrives in a state of agitation, confessing that he has killed a man. Larry explains that the victim was a brutal, manipulative figure from the past of Wanda, a young woman Larry loves and has been living with in Soho. In a moment of panic and protective rage, Larry strangled the man and left his body under an archway. Keith, initially disgusted by his brother’s life and his lack of self-control, quickly transitions into a cold, tactical advisor. He secures Larry’s silence, takes his house keys, and begins strategizing to protect the family name.

The narrative shifts to Wanda’s dim, shabby room in Soho. Keith arrives to assess the "threat" she poses, questioning whether she might betray them. He finds a woman who is devoted to Larry with a quiet, desperate intensity, and he attempts to bribe her into disappearing to ensure Larry’s safety. When Larry arrives, ignoring Keith’s orders to remain hidden, he learns that the police have already arrested a vagrant for the crime. While Larry is physically and mentally devastated by the knowledge that an innocent person is being punished for his actions, Keith insists that they must remain silent, arguing that the vagrant is a "ghoul" who deserves to be locked away regardless of his innocence in this specific case.

Two months later, the situation reaches a breaking point. The vagrant has been sentenced to death. Larry, unable to live with the knowledge of this injustice, has reached an internal resolution. He returns to Wanda, and together they decide to escape the "smugness" and "savagery" of their reality through a final, shared act. After a last supper, they take a lethal dose of poison. When Keith arrives, expecting to maintain control of the situation, he finds them dead. He discovers Larry’s written confession, which would clear the condemned man but destroy Keith’s career. Torn between his duty to the law and his own survival, Keith ultimately chooses himself. He burns the confession in the fireplace, leaving the innocent man to face his fate while he walks out into the night, hardened and alone.

How It Unfolds

The midnight confession Larry arrives at Keith's study, shattered and desperate, to admit that he has killed a man during a struggle in Soho. Keith reacts with immediate, calculating concern for his own reputation as a lawyer on the verge of a major promotion.

The cold assessment Keith visits Wanda’s room to determine if she is a liability, ultimately dismissing her love for Larry as a triviality that risks their collective future. He demands that Larry go into hiding, treating the human lives involved as mere obstacles to be managed.

The false trail The brothers learn that a homeless man has been arrested for the murder, having been found with a piece of jewelry belonging to the victim. Keith uses this development to justify his plan to keep Larry silent, viewing the victim's plight as irrelevant.

The final act Overcome by the moral rot of the situation, Larry and Wanda choose to end their lives together in an act of tragic autonomy. Larry leaves behind a full confession, pinning his hopes on the truth being discovered by the authorities.

The ultimate betrayal Keith arrives to find the bodies and the confession, forcing him to choose between justice and his own professional preservation. He decides to burn the document, effectively sentencing the innocent man to death to protect his own future.

The People

Keith Darrant is an ambitious King’s Counsel whose identity is built entirely upon social status and the rigid enforcement of law. He loves his brother only insofar as Larry does not threaten his advancement. By the end, he is hollowed out by his own choice, choosing to become the very thing he despises—a man who suppresses the truth for personal gain.

Larry Darrant is the emotional, unstable antithesis to his brother. He is driven by impulsive love and a profound, often agonizing empathy. While he is capable of violence, he is equally capable of profound sacrifice. His journey is one of increasing alienation from his brother’s world of "rightful" power, ending in a desperate bid for freedom that he and Wanda seek in death.

Wanda is a survivor of a brutal life who finds in Larry her only source of light and belonging. She is defined by her devotion, which Keith views as a weakness, but which serves as the anchor for the entire story. Her perspective is one of simple, absolute loyalty; she does not care about the consequences of the law, only about the survival of the man she loves.

In Its Own Voice

"I suppose you realise that you've made me an accessory after the fact--me, King's counsel--sworn to the service of the Law, who, in a year or two, will have the trying of cases like yours!"

Keith realizes the gravity of his brother's crime, not out of moral concern, but because it jeopardizes his own judicial career.

"A boat leaves for the Argentine the day after to-morrow; you must go by it."

Keith attempts to resolve the situation with a cold, logistical solution that treats human beings like cargo to be shipped away.

"I hate this world--I loathe it! I hate its God-forsaken savagery; its pride and smugness!"

Larry finally vocalizes his complete rejection of the society represented by his brother, confirming his intent to escape it forever.

What It's Really About

The play functions as a critique of the arrogance of the ruling class. It asks whether the law is truly an instrument of justice or merely a tool for the powerful to maintain their "smugness." The conflict between Larry and Keith highlights the irreconcilable gap between those who feel the weight of their actions and those who only feel the weight of their reputations. Ultimately, the story argues that a system—and a person—that sacrifices truth for the sake of appearances is already dead, regardless of who survives at the final curtain.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate psychological tension and dark, character-driven narratives will find much to admire here. It is a lean, punchy piece of drama that moves with the speed of a thriller but holds the weight of a tragedy. Its strength lies in how it dissects the coldness of a man who believes himself to be "righteous," forcing the reader to witness the cost of that righteousness.

While the play captures a specific turn-of-the-century London atmosphere, its central moral dilemma—the struggle between individual conscience and professional survival—feels strikingly modern. The dialogue is brisk and sharp, avoiding the flowery excesses of some period literature. Those who prefer complex characters over heroes and villains will find the interplay between the two brothers particularly compelling. The ending, while bleak, is earned through the narrative's relentless logic. It is not an easy read, and it does not offer the comfort of a conventional resolution, but for anyone interested in the darker corners of the human heart, it remains a vivid, haunting, and deeply precise piece of writing that stays with you long after the final page is turned.