Between pages 31 and 33, during which Osborne and Stanhope are talking about Raleigh joining their company, Sheriff creates sympathy around Stanhope. This is achieved by what Stanhope tells Osborne (and the audience) about how he views the situation with Raleigh. For instance, when Stanhope goes on to say about how he is only brave because he is 'doped with whisky', or when he desperately says that he will censor Raleigh's letters. However one of the key reasons why we feel sympathy for Stanhope is when Sheriff writes about how Stanhope believes he has'had his share of luck'.
When Stanhope tells Osborne "it may not be much longer now. I've had my share of luck - more than my share", he is saying that he thinks he has had his luck in the war and that he will soon die in the same way his predecessors did. This, as pointed out by Osborne, is a very 'black' way of looking on things as everyone knows Stanhope is a great military commander. We sympathise with Stanhope here because he is feeling quite dark and has no confidence in his own ability.
Another example showing Stanhope's lack of confidence in his abiltiy is when he says "if i went up those steps into the front line - without being doped with whisky - I'd go mad with fright". This tells us that Stanhope, one of the most revered and respected officers in the entire batallion does not think that he is brave or noble, and instead he is keeping himself going with whisky. this emphasises his lack of belief in this scene and the audience sympathises with this.
Raleigh also creates sympathy by explaining his love for Madge, Raleigh's sister and how he regrets not telling her earlier. This is explained when he says "I just prayed to come through the war - and - and do things - and keep absolutely fit for her". At this point the audience is sympathising for Stanhope because he is doing all this, more strain than anyone else, for Raleigh's sister and we hope that he makes it through the war.
This sympathy is repeated when Stanhope goes on to talk about his fear for Raleigh to write to her about him (a fear which turns out to be unnecessary once he sees Raleigh's letter). Stanhope tells us "You know! You know he'll write and tell her I reek of whisky all day" which is in reference to the drinking which he has to do so as to gather the courage to go into battle. This is the moment where we feel the most sympathy towards Stanhope because he is paranoid that Madge will be told of his drinking, which he has a justifiable reason for anyway. So if this was to happen it would be totally unjust on Stanhope.
One of the main reasons why Stanhope is so bleak in this part, and why we feel sympathy for him, is because he is upset about Raleigh joining his company (he tells us "If Raleigh had gone to one of those other one thousand eight hundred companies"). However, Stanhope is not angered because he doesn't like Raleigh, but because he loves him too much to lose him. Stanhope has seen and endured so much during the years he has been at war, and is at breaking point. So, he is deeply upset that Raleigh, a boy he had cared for has come to his company where he could die and his death would be forever on Stanhope's conscience This would not only be too much for Stanhope but it would also possibly ruin the relationship between him and Raleigh's sister.
Lastly, we are told by Stanhope about the reason why he took to whisky (he says "I knew I'd go mad if I didn't break the strain. I couldn't bear being fully conscious all the time"). The audience sympathises with him when he says this because he has revealed why he drinks so much. It is all too much for him. This is made even worse by the fact that he is mocked for this, even though he has a very sombre reason for it.
Between the pages of 31 and 33 the audience has become a lot more sympathetic towards Stanhope because of the reasons such as his misconception among the men, and his bleak outlook after his time in the trenches. All of theses techniques by Sheriff create a very effective scene here.
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