The audience can gain insight into the effect of trench warfare on the psyches of the characters - Freudian theory which questions the different parts of the mind/psyche, less graphically than a more recent World War I version. Modern critics (John Stokes and Tony Howard) argue that "Vietnam transformed" British citizens "with respect to wars past and present." First, "Journey's End" was primarily used to reduce or relieve possible signs of worry or hysteria. A key character, Hibbert, is commonly used by the sheriff to show the implications the war could have on adult men. He explains to Stanhope that he can no longer cope with the war and then approaches Stanhope wanting to "get sick". This could be considered perfectly acceptable due to his current mental state, later presented to modern critics and audiences in conjunction with this. However, this does not fit the theme of masculinity for audiences at the time the play was first performed. The sheriff uses descriptive language to describe Hibbert's mental state, who stands with his head bowed and his eyes "tightly closed", "Hibbert stands quivering before Stanhope", which introduces the audience to the surreal implications this had for the soldiers. mental capacity and condition. But Stanhope was still