Abraham Lincoln said, “I don’t know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.” As a character in Don’t Smile Till Easter, Lukas has one advantage over Lincoln in that Lukas does know his grandfather. Even though Lukas has less than smooth relationships with pretty well everyone else in his life, (e.g. his mother, the Principal), his grandfather, Tom, is his rock. Lukas instinctively recognises value in Tom’s age, experience and wisdom. Tom doesn’t try to replace Lukas’ deceased father and doesn’t suffocate Lukas with discipline – Tom sees himself in Lukas at the same age (decades past) and gives him room to make mistakes and find himself. As Lincoln also said, “You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.”