The Caretaker Summary

Mick sits alone in a room filled with all kinds of clutter, including various kitchen appliances, two beds, and a Buddha statue, among other things. A bucket hangs from the ceiling to catch the water leaking out of a crack. Mick hears voices approaching from outside and quickly leaves the room. After Mick leaves, Mick’s brother Aston enters the room, accompanied by Davies, an old, disheveled drifter. Davies inspects the room and complains about the foreigners at the café where he worked until this evening, when he was fired for fighting with a coworker. It was Aston who interfered in the brawl and who later decided to bring Davies home with him. As Davies complains, Aston tinkers with some tools.

Aston offers to let Davies spend the night in his home. Davies accepts the offer, though he immediately complains about the room’s cluttered state, the draught, and “them Blacks” who also live in the building. He also asks Aston for a pair of shoes, which he claims to need to return to Sidcup to retrieve his identifying papers and other important documents. Aston explains that he’s been going by a false name, Bernard Jenkins, and that he needs to retrieve his papers so that people don’t uncover his lies. Aston brings Davies a pair of shoes, though Davies immediately complains about them being too small. When Aston asks about Davies’s future plans, Davies gives no definite answer. Davies then asks about the Buddha statue. Aston says something vague about liking how the statue looks.

The next morning, Aston tells Davies he was making noise in his sleep. Davies denies this and accuses “them Blacks” of causing the commotion. Aston leaves to meet a man about buying a tool.

After Aston leaves, Davies roots around in Aston’s stuff looking for things to steal. Distracted, Davies doesn’t notice when Mick silently enters the room. Mick assumes Davies is an intruder and attacks him. Davies eventually fends off Mick, and the men talk a bit, though Davies refuses to tell Mick much about his background, introducing himself by his false name, Barry Jenkins. The conversation ultimately goes nowhere, and Mick again accuses Davies of being a thief.

Aston returns and tries to diffuse the tension. Mick leaves, and Aston explains that he’s supposed to be fixing up the place for Mick. He also talks about wanting to build a shed out back. Once Aston is finished daydreaming, he asks Davies if he’d like to be the caretaker. Davies is hesitant, apparently not too keen on the idea of a job that would require him to do too much work.

Sometime later, Davies enters the dark and seemingly unoccupied room, only to find that the light switch won’t work. Mick, who has unscrewed the lightbulb and who is hiding in the darkness, frightens Davies with a vacuum cleaner. Davies demands to know why Mick won’t stop messing with him. Mick offers half his sandwich as a peace offering, which Davies reluctantly accepts. They talk about Aston, and Davies admits that he can’t quite figure him out. Mick sympathizes with Davies, explaining that he has grown frustrated with Aston’s apparent unwillingness to work, though he suddenly changes his tune and angrily accuses Davies of being overly critical of Aston. Mick then changes course once more, flattering Davies and inviting him to be the caretaker, an offer that Davies accepts. Mick asks for Davies’s references. Davies says his documents and references are in Sidcup and that he’ll retrieve them as soon as the weather improves and he can get some proper shoes.

The next morning, Aston again complains about Davies making noise in his sleep. In response, Davies complains about the open window making the room draughty at night. The men argue back and forth. Aston announces that he’s going to go out today to ask about buying a bench. Davies announces that he’ll go to Sidcup today, though he ultimately changes his mind.

Aston gives a long speech about being involuntarily committed to an asylum and given electroshock treatment for hallucinations when he was a young man, and how this treatment makes it hard for him to think and to communicate with others.

Two weeks later, Mick and Davies are in the room alone. Davies tells Mick that he and Aston have hardly spoken since Aston told him about being committed. He complains about how hard it is to talk to Aston, speculating that he and Mick get along better and could actually get stuff done. Mick agrees and entertains the idea of fixing up the place with Davies, though he remains adamant that it will be he and Aston who will live in the finished home—not Davies. Davies starts ragging on Aston. Mick doesn’t say much and gets up to leave.

Aston enters the room and hands Davies some shoes. Davies complains about the shoes while making tentative plans to return to Sidcup. Aston exits the room without Davies noticing, which greatly annoys Davies.

Later that night, Davies starts making noises in his sleep. Aston orders him to be quiet. In retaliation, Davies ridicules Aston for his mental illness and prior institutionalization, threatening that Mick can have him recommitted. Aston tells Davies to leave. Davies puts his knife to Aston’s throat, but Aston calmly repeats his order, backs away from Davies, and silently places Davies’s things near the door. Davies leaves the room while Aston fiddles with a plug.

Later on, Davies complains to Mick about Aston’s behavior, but Mick stands up for his brother. Davies refuses to back down, suggesting that Mick should send Aston back to the asylum. Mick is still mad but changes the subject, mentioning something about Davies being an accomplished interior decorator, though Davies insists he never purported to be one. Mick demands to know Davies’s real name. Still caught off guard by Mick’s assumption, Davies suggests that it was the “nutty” Aston who told him about Davies being an interior decorator, which makes Mick even more upset. Mick tells Davies to leave. He then throws the Buddha statue to the ground, shattering it.

Aston enters, and he and Mick exchange a silent smile as Mick leaves the room. Aston notes the smashed Buddha statue. Davies makes a grand speech about how kind Aston has been to him, offering to help Aston complete the woodshed. But Davies’s pleas do little to convince Aston, who turns his back to the old man as Davies slowly makes his way toward the door.