In "The Destructors", what are your feelings about the boys at the end of the story?

I think it is clear that Greene goes through great lengths
to ensure that we as readers feel great sympathy for "Old Misery", or Mr. Thomas, and
therefore, by default, this highlights the cruelty of the act of the boys in destroying
his house. Consider the following quotation:

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Mr. Thomas came out of the loo. He was wearing a
gray blanket to which flakes of pastry adhered. He gave a sobbing cry. "My house," he
said. "Where's my
house?"

This sense of immense
pity we feel for him is again emphasised by the laughter of the driver, who cannot help
but laugh at the plight of Mr. Thomas:

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"I'm sorry. I can't help it, Mr. Thomas. There's
nothing personal, but you got to admit it's
funny."

Clearly, therefore,
our feelings about the boys are "guided" by this sad ending. We see them as
"destructors" who have destroyed a man's life. However, at the same time it is important
to realise that Greene again emphasises that they did not do this out of any sense of
hatred - they did this because destruction is all their short lives have known, and thus
whilst we feel angry, at the same time the anger is coupled with a sense of pity for
these children of the war generation.