 The Bancrofts had produced the best plays of Tom Robertson in the 1860s, and "Sweethearts" was Gilbert's tribute to Robertson's "realist" style.The importance of small incidents is emphasised, characters are revealed through "small talk," and what is left unsaid in the script are as important to the play as what is said in the dialogue.These are all Robertson trademarks, though they are not key features of Gilbert's other plays.