When Jodie opens the door on the squalor of her new flat share to find she will be living with four young men, it’s clear she is in for a culture shock. They are strewn around the room like the rest of their detritus, and there isn’t even a kettle in the flat. Jodie is instantly the subject of their sexual braggadocio, as they joke about who will sleep with her first. The so-called banter when the lads are together, and particularly when they are around Jodie, can be vile.

They can dish it out but they can’t take it; when Jodie is bullied into revealing her body count, thin-skinned Alex can’t take a question challenging his sexual performance in return. The term “toxic masculinity” has become debased through over-usage, but it is here and it is ugly, as if the four men can’t show any compassion or kindness for fear of being seen as weak. For all that it is unpleasant to hear, the dialogue is excellent, although its homogeneity means it takes a while to distinguish the characters; the exception is the bullied Richard, whose formal discourse is put down to “a public school education and a sprinkling of autism”. It’s a wonderful performance by Luke Dyer, hinting at the damage done to someone trying to fit in against their own nature.

In contrast to the group scenes, the play shows nuance in demonstrating how the men can display friendship in one-on-one interactions, but never in a crowd. Perhaps this is why Jodie stays, when common sense screams that it is intolerable – but the flat-share is also an escape from her mother’s drinking. As Jodie, Georgina Housby (also co-writer with Sam Dinnage) is at the heart of the play, her clear-eyed and upbeat nature dulled as she is encouraged to adopt the drink and drugs lifestyle of the flat.

The other women around the men seem no more capable of challenging their behaviour, and the reaction in the audience is curiously split. There are those of both sexes, mainly of similar age to the protagonists, who whoop and cheer at some of the most reprehensible behaviour, but there are also those who quietly stew and clearly hate it.

The play follows two major storylines that are both devastating – one signposted more clearly than the other – but unfortunately diminished for being played out together. Though Spare Room is a play that aims commendably high, focusing on Jodie’s story would be a more effective use of its constrained running time.