In teaching history to several generations of boys, Mr. Hundert takes his mission very seriously. Many of the students come from prominent families and are likely to attain high ranks themselves. Hundert’s diction not only reflects his erudition and dedication but also makes him sound rather pompous. He understands that there is a strong ethical component to his teaching, which he wants to impart in the boys.

A combination of idealism and humility is what he hopes to instill in them. Hundert describes his classroom, for example, as

a tribute to the lofty ideals of man… and…the fleeting nature of human accomplishment.

There are several external challenges to his ability to instill those concepts. There is resistance from the boys themselves, who—being teenagers—do not always follow his opinion that his is “a serious class.” This is particularly a problem with Sedgewick Bell, who seems not just irreverent but lazy. Hundert also questions his own approach to the young Bell, concerned about the model he is offering as well as its effectiveness.

[T]o convince a boy of his own stupidity is to shoot a poisonous arrow indeed.

In the exam, when Hundert discovers that Bell is cheating, he refers again to the noble calling in which he believes, speaking of the “important vision that my classical studies had given to me.” However, upon the advice of the school’s headmaster, he does not call out the boy for cheating. Instead, Hundert reveals himself to be a hypocrite who is driven by practicality and ambition, not “lofty ideals.” If not threatened with losing his job, he “would have stood up for [his] principles.” Instead, overcoming his shock, he “simply nodded” upon hearing the correct answer. His ambitions included “one day becoming a headmaster myself.” Hundert notes the slippery slope he had started up:

In a position of moral leadership, of course, compromise only begets more compromise.