A second way is the way that Osborne shows a family relationship in Act One and that he gets on well with the men in the company. This can be seen clearly by the fact that he is called “Uncle” by other men. This is very informal and shows that he is seen as the older and more experienced one in the company. In addition, it connotes that he is a ‘father like figure,’ caring, thoughtful, kind and helpful, for example when he helps Raleigh get ready for bed. The men look up to him, respect him and have hero-worship for him.
Another way is Osborne’s appearance and personality; we find out that Osborne is a middle-aged man with 'iron-grey hair'. Osborne however is physically in very good shape and is a 'tall, thin man' who is 'physically as hard as nails.’ These quotes illustrate that even though he is old, he is strong and ‘hard as nails’, implying that he is suited for the war, having the strength and maturity.
As Raleigh enters, the audience sees a kind, caring side to Osborne. Sheriff puts across the ideas of Osborne being a family man through his calming conversation with Raleigh, where he tells Raleigh from what way he should look at the war, this can be shown in the quote, "There's something rather romantic about it all." This quote demonstrates how caring Osborne is as he says this to comfort Raleigh, as he is inexperienced about war and what war is really like, so he tries to comfort him by saying in other word that there is something exciting, adventurous and idealistic about it. Comforting Raleigh shows the soft side of Osborne to the audience and how he is like a ‘father-figure,’ protecting Raleigh form the harsh truth.
Another way is the way that Osborne is presented at the start of the play. He comes across as friendly and kind. This can be seen when he says “Thanks” to Hardy after he was offered a drink by him, showing he has good manners and is sincere. Also, in their conversation, Hardy and Osborne try to make jokes in order to lighten the atmosphere. “Excuse my sock wont you?” “Certainly, it’s a very nice sock”. However this irrelevant small talk simply illustrates that these characters do not know each other very well, showing that he is friendly and kind as he makes a compliment about his sock.
A final way is the comradeship between Osborne and Stanhope. Osborne when sticking up for Stanhope shows that there is a strong bond between the two as Osborne mentions that he loves him and ‘would go to hell with him’. Illustrating his feelings for his comrade.
In conclusion, all these features, form loyalty to comradeship make Osborne a likeable person. Act One reveals things not only about Osborne but other men because of his personality for example his caring and loyal side reveal to the audience what Stanhope is like. These features play an important role in unlocking the characters true identities and progressing the book further and reveals the realities of war and how men didn’t really show their feelings as much as Osborne.