Act 2, Scene 3 Summary

Doc and Pulver listen to the radio commentary, agreeing that the idea of Roberts' deliberately pursuing promotion is unlikely. Their conversation reveals it's been 2 weeks since the previous scene, that Roberts spends all his time in the radio shack listening to the war news, and that several of the sailors believe he really is trying for promotion. As they talk about how Roberts isn't communicating openly with either of them, Dowdy and two other sailors enter, saying Roberts has put Dolan on report and asking Doc to talk to him. They explain that several of the men are complaining angrily about Roberts, who, until then, had never seemed to be the type to put someone on report. They also explain that Roberts became angry because Dolan was pushing him to sign the letter of application for a transfer.

Roberts enters. Dowdy...