As a character in Don’t Smile Till Easter, Secondary teacher Donny is a success: he does an excellent job of teaching his subjects and in coaching his school’s football team. The students see him as a person whose personal qualities they would like to emulate. Donny treats his students as he would like to be treated: with respect, but at the same time he can joke around. But fate takes a turn for the worse – circumstances and personalities intervene. Donny is teaching the English Syllabus poem Chiron’s Serenade to a single, female student (Jenny) and this poem is of a similar theme to poet William Butler Yeats’ Leda and the Swan – see http://www.online-literature.com/yeats/865/ – due to circumstances beyond his control, Donny is accused of the sexual assault of Jenny and is immediately judged guilty (even though he is innocent). He has the Department of Education, his Principal and even the Office Lady condemning him. Only a couple of people, namely badboy student Lukas and Lukas’ Grandfather Tom believe in him. Donny knows that even when he is proved innocent, a little bit of the mud will always stick.