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Although Nickel Academy as a whole is the primary antagonist of the novel, Spencer is the face of the academy as its superintendent. Spencer is portrayed as a cruel and obscenely violent man with particularly evil tendencies toward abusing the Black students. There are many instances throughout the novel of Spencer administering physical torture to students or even murdering them. Spencer is the one who gives Elwood his first beating, causing Elwood to fear Spencer more than anyone else. Spencer also spearheads the murder of Griff, a Black student who refuses to throw a boxing match against a white student.
Although Spencer is portrayed as murderous, he is not portrayed as fearless. After learning that Elwood delivered a letter to the inspectors describing the academy’s injustices, Spencer locks Elwood in solitary confinement as he anxiously awaits any sort of consequence from the government. It’s only after he’s sure that no legal backlash is coming that Spencer moves to murder Elwood.
