# Endnotes explained — Tom Brown’s School Days

> Chapter companion for Tom Brown’s School Days by Thomas Hughes.

## What happens

The endnotes provide a Latin excerpt from Asser's Annals of King Alfred the Great, describing a battle between pagans and Christians, and a marginal note from an old Rugboean reflecting on the 'small friend system' at Rugby between 1841 and 1847, acknowledging noble friendships between older and younger boys despite the author's critical passage.

## Themes in this chapter

### Friendship and Loyalty

The marginal note highlights the positive friendships between big and little boys at Rugby, emphasizing loyalty and mentorship within the school system.

### Nostalgia and Tradition

The author's retention of the critical passage, despite acknowledging noble friendships, reflects a nostalgic tension between past practices and evolving moral perspectives.

## Key lines

> A kind and wise critic, an old Rugboean, notes here in the margin: 'The small friend system was not so utterly bad from 1841 – 1847.'

A thoughtful former Rugby student comments that the practice of older boys mentoring younger ones was not entirely harmful during those years.

_This marginal note offers a counterpoint to the author's earlier criticism, acknowledging the system's potential for positive relationships._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tom_brown_s_school_days_se/chapters/endnotes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tom_brown_s_school_days_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tom_brown_s_school_days_se/chapters