Speaking of the devil, Mayor Pete shows up with a letter from the spa's board of directors terminating Thomas' contract with them. Dr Stockmann says never mind, he'll work freelance in town; people always need a doctor. But Mayor Pete has also brought along a resolution from the Homeowners' Association which states that no one in town will use his services. Pete says it's being circulated door to door and he doubts any family will dare to not sign it. He says that Thomas is going to be ruined and urges him to write a statement saying that he got overexcited and exaggerated the danger of the water contamination. Pete says that, if he does it, he can keep his job and eventually, in a few years, start to make some improvements at the spa to purify the waters. Thomas refuses to do so and Mayor Pete's somewhat conciliatory tone changes. He says that Thomas' father-in-law Morton Kiil has been spending the morning buying up as many shares as he can in Kirsten Springs. Thomas is bewildered as to why Kiil would do this as, if the spa is closed due to contamination, he'll lose a lot of money. But Mayor Pete says that what it looks like to him- and implies he'll tell other people this- is that Thomas colluded with Kiil to tank the stock price so that his father-in-law could buy up controlling interest on the cheap. He says that, if Thomas publishes anything about the spa being contaminated, he'll have him charged with conspiracy.
As Mayor Pete is leaving, Morton Kiil shows up. Dr. Stockmann asks him what the heck he's done- doesn't he realize what this will look like, his father-in-law buying up the company stocks? Kiil doesn't care; he's done it to try to blackmail Thomas into recanting. He tells Thomas that he bought the stocks with the money that his wife (Kiil's daughter) Catherine and their children were going to inherit from him. If Thomas continues with his insistence that the water is contaminated and Kirsten Springs goes under, their inheritance will be completely gone. And, considering how Stockmann has tanked his career, they may need that money to survive on. Stockmann is horrified by this malicious intent but doesn't give way. Kiil slithers out and next the two turncoat newspaper men Hovstad and Aslaksen show up. They've changed their tune again, acting apologetic. They tell Thomas that they wanted to support him but in the face of the town's hysteria (Stockmann acidly points out that the press helped whip up that hysteria) that their paper would be boycotted much like his medical practice now is. But, they say, they could swing their paper around behind him again if he can promise them financial support; they've heard about the stock sale and assume that Stockmann was colluding with Kiil and so will be getting a big payout. Disgusted, Thomas tells them what he thinks of their blackmail attempt and Hovstad loses his temper, saying that Thomas is a demon for caring more about pure water than about bringing shame and ruination to his family. Thomas is about to boot them out the door when there's a commotion: his two young sons- Ejlif and Morten- are home early from school, bruised and bloodied. Another boy had been taunting them, calling their father a traitor and Morten got in a fistfight with him but then was set on by all the other boys as well. The teacher sent them home and said that they'd better stay home for the rest of the week. Thinking that this incident may change Stockmann's mind, Hovstad and Aslaksen try again to persuade him but Thomas drives them from the house in a rage. He tells them that if being a hero in this town means lying and covering up corruption, then he is an enemy of the people; they can do their worst because he intends to make sure the truth about Kirsten Springs is known far and wide.
Just then there's another commotion outside and more rocks come in through their broken windows. Captain Horster reenters the room to tell them that an angry mob is gathering outside. Frightened, Catherine asks Thomas what's going to happen. He says that he doesn't know, but that they're fighting for the truth and that will make them strong; he concludes by saying that the strong must learn to be lonely. The play ends here, with the Stockmann family- and Captain Horster- gathered together in the room as the sounds of the angry crowd grow louder outside their smashed windows. My next post will give my thoughts on this Ibsen adaptation by Arthur Miller.