How did the actions of the winslow family tell the purpose of the story?

The Winslow Boy is a play by Terence Rattigan that is based on the real-life infamous incident involving George Archer-Shee in the early part of the Twentieth century. Archer-Shee was a young Royal Naval cadet who was accused of stealing a five shilling postal order. The case went all the way to the High Court of Justice in 1910, where Archer-Shee was defended by Sir Edward Carson, a politician and barrister who managed to get an acquittal despite overwhelming odds. The cadet's family were also paid compensation. Archer-Shee went on to receive a commission to fight in the army and was killed in action at the first Battle of Ypres, on October 31, 1914.

The Winslow Boy re-tells the story of the case, with a young man named Winslow as the protagonist. The story is told from Winslow's father's perspective, getting his son's name cleared was not important just for the young man accused, but for the whole family as well; at the time, having a criminal in the family would mean that the entire family would be ostracized.

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