The meaning of さすがにこれは同情する

Question

Context before lines: やまだ (a delinquent) explains to his friends the unfortunate events that lead to him being hated throughout the school, and then they respond as so:

Ａ：　　なんて悲劇よ　やまだのくせに
Ｂ：　　さすがにこれは同情するなあ
やまだ：「くせに」とか「さすがに」は余計だろう

What does さすがに actually do here? I've looked up the definition and usage but it still isn't really that clear to me. Could it be do with how him being hated is largely not his fault, but rather his old friend that made him take the blame, and whilst the person who said this wouldn't be sympathetic if it was his fault, but since it isn't then he is. Or what else could it mean?

Answer 1

The nuance of including さすがに is like saying "(normally I wouldn't sympathize with you, but) this was just so bad that I have to".

Incidentally, that nuance is already there to some degree with 「これは{LLH}」, but that's not as explicit or as easy to 突っ込む. :)