Thomas Hughes was a 19th century lawyer and writer. Tom Brown's School Days is his best known work. It is a semi-autobiographical novel set at Rugby School. Tom Brown is energetic, kind-hearted, and athletic more than intellectual. He acts according to his feelings and the unwritten rules of the boys. As a youth Tom wanders the countryside with his pony in a free and idyllic life. When Tom arrives at Rugby School he is the target of bullying that escalates to the point where he is deliberately burned. Tom with help eventually beats the bully. In the second half of the book Tom is given a young brilliant unhealthy boy to mentor and thethis fight to save this boy is a poignant part of the book.