 However, critics analyzing the history and development of sentimental comedy have found Steele's self-professed key scene to be about more than disapproval of the evil and waste of human life that results from dueling.Steele's assertion in the preface suggests that the play's purpose is not only to move the audience by depicting scenes of emotional distress[3], but also to provide a guideline for a more restrained and refined behavior in the emerging English middle class.