Although Uncle John drinks and has licentious tendencies, the reader still has sympathy, if not admiration, for this character. How does Steinbeck accomplish this?

Steinbeck uses indirect presentation to give us a gentle side to uncle John. He will slip is nieces and nephews candy when he can hardly afford it. He has had a hard life since his wife died. He feels guilty for dismissing her ailment as a stomach ache. He is a kind man inside who quietly kills his pain by drinking.