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The following list is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive - you may not have time to mention all these points in an hour and there are many more points that you could make.

Just ensure you know the play well enough to come up with a selection of good points quickly, no matter what question you are asked.

• The audience first hear about Sherriff’s protagonist - Captain Dennis Stanhope - before Stanhope ever arrives on the stage. Osborne states, "Stanhope asked me to come and take over. He’s looking after the men coming in." Through the opinions of another character the audience immediately develops a positive view of this key character. The phrase "looking after" suggests that Stanhope cares for his men.
• Even though Stanhope has his flaws, in the same conversation as above Hardy asks if Stanhope is "Drinking like a fish, as usual?" Osborne counters Hardy’s negativity, "He’s a long way the best company commander we've got.” Sheriff ensures through dramatic structure that our first impressions of Stanhope are positive, even though he foreshadows that the character has faults.
• The next scene in which Stanhope is important is when a young officer recruit - James Raleigh - arrives in the dugout. The audience still haven’t met Stanhope. Sherriff is deliberately delaying the appearance of the play's protagonist in order for the audience to develop certain expectations for when he finally arrives.
• Sherriff emphasises Stanhope’s youth in the stage directions by describing him as “no more than a boy”. Seeing such a youthful character on stage would make his bravery and dedication to his duty all the more admirable.
• Raleigh’s “hero-worship” of Stanhope convinces the audience that Stanhope is a special character - particularly as he is admired by such a young and enthusiastic officer.
• We find out that Stanhope has been awarded the Military Cross - an honour that suggests he is seen as courageous by his superiors - despite being only 21 years of age.
• Stanhope mentions he has been through “that awful affair on Vimy Ridge”, so the audience knows he has survived and continued on after a traumatic battle. We come to understand that this is why he drinks so much, and we admire his resilience while being more understanding of his addiction.
• Stanhope uses his skill as a leader to persuade Hibbert to stay when he is trying to leave the front line because of illness. Stanhope empathetically says “I know what you feel, Hibbert.” He combines this with complimenting Hibbert, familiarly calling him “old chap” and offering him a drink.
• Stanhope’s dedication and loyalty to his men are shown in his response to the Colonel after the raid that kills Osborne, “I want to go and see those men.” It is also shown in his sarcastic reply “Still it’ll be awfully nice if the brigadier’s pleased”, when the Colonel insensitively seems triumphant about the raid.
• In Stanhope’s dialogue Sherriff shows that he is a human being as well as a hero to many. For example, when Stanhope reveals to Raleigh that he has not escaped the psychological horrors of war either, “You think there’s no limit to what a man can bear?” Sheriff makes Stanhope more admirable to the audience by giving him the human qualities of fear and worry.
• Sherriff uses contrasts to make Stanhope an admirable character. For example, when the tall and slim Stanhope first appears on set he is with chubby red-faced Trotter. This emphasises the heroic physical attributes of Stanhope and helps us to understand the boyish love Raleigh has for him. Hibbert’s desire to leave and his pretence at illness to escape is contrasted with the character of Stanhope, who has “never had a rest” according to Osborne. The contrast in Trotter’s addiction to food with Stanhope’s addiction to alcohol is used to show how everyone uses crutches to deal with the horrors of war. They may choose different things to help them cope, but in the end it is not just Stanhope who finds a way of “breaking the strain”.