With his creation of the Governor General's Award winning "Criminals in Love" (1984); the Chalmers Award winning "Better Living" (1986); and "Escape from Happiness" (1991), Walker embarked on a whole new direction in his evolution as a playwright. Much less of his comic irony now relied on the recognition of character, much more now relied on the creation of character. In a very real way, George Walker had freed himself to "come home." Set in what is transparently a single neighbourhood, the East End of Toronto, these three interrelated plays were quickly collected in a volume called, naturally, The East End Plays.