... Keith was "the officer corps in our two-man army. I was the other ranks - and grateful to be so." Frayn uses the words "officer" and "other ranks" to emphasise the difference between Stephen and Keith. The word "officer" clearly implies a superior person whereas "other ranks" suggests inferiority. The admiration in which Keith is held is demonstrated on page 12 when Frayn talks about the boys deciding what they are going to do that day, "or rather Stephen's waiting for Keith to decide." Another example of how Keith is treated as a hero by Stephen is Stephen's unwillingness to challenge Keith. On page 31 it has Keith making spelling mistakes, Stephen is unwilling to challenge Keith because he has "reservations about his authority." In contrast to Stephen both his father and brother regard Keith in less than heroic terms. On page 22, Stephen's father dismisses Keith's belief in relation to the ...

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