sentences:  was Wilde's first play.It was written in an era of British history when the age of consent for homosexuals was 5 years older than heterosexuals, and legislation called Section 28 prohibited schools and local authorities from depicting homosexual relationships as an acceptable view of family life.The central characters – Steven Carter and John Westhead – were both still at school, and Wilde has pointed out that it is "quite crucial" that Carter is 16, as he wanted to draw attention to the fact Carter was breaking the law, whereas his heterosexual peers at school were not.