The boys in their grubby navy bow ties and blue uniforms were indistinguishably horrid—nose-pickers, thumbsuckers, snorers, neer-do-wells, farters, burpers, the unwashed and unclean.
Wearing a navy blazer and conservative tie, unpressed khakis, and brown leather sneakers, he looked more like a college senior dressed for a job interview than an internationally famous writer.