On the Face of It: Derry and Mr Lamb
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
In On the Face of It, Derry, a boy whose face was burnt by acid, hides from people; Mr Lamb, an old man with a tin leg, treats him as an equal, tells him hatred harms more than any acid and helps him want the world again. Derry defies his mother to return, but finds Mr Lamb fallen in the garden.
Understand Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age
Derry at the start. Derry climbs over the wall into what he thinks is an empty garden and is startled when Mr Lamb warns him to mind the crab apples. He says people are afraid of him because of his face, which was eaten away by acid. He hates being pitied or having people change the subject. He is defensive and withdrawn.
Mr Lamb's manner. Mr Lamb neither pities nor fears him. He tells Derry the gate is always open and everyone is welcome. He talks about his weed garden, asking why one plant is called a weed and another a flower when all are living things. He mentions his leg, blown off in the war, which children tease as Lamey-Lamb, without being troubled.
The scenes in order.
1. Opening up. Derry recalls a woman saying his was a face only a mother could love. Mr Lamb asks whether that is the only thing he has ever heard. He tells a story of a man who locked himself in a room out of fear of the world and was killed when a picture fell on his head; Derry laughs.
2. The warning. When Derry says he hates some people, Mr Lamb warns that hatred would harm him more than any bottle of acid, which burns only the face; one can burn oneself away inside.
3. A first wish. Derry admits he wants something of his own, like this garden. Mr Lamb tells him he can find it by waiting, watching and listening. Derry calls him crazy, then quietly says he likes it there, and runs off, promising to come back. Mr Lamb, alone, says sadly that people never do come back.
4. Scene Two. Derry's mother forbids him to go back, having heard gossip about the old man. Derry says Mr Lamb talks about things that matter, and that if he does not go back he will never go anywhere in the world again. He leaves, wanting the world.
5. Scene Three. Mr Lamb, picking crab apples, falls from the ladder. Derry arrives saying he came back, finds Mr Lamb lying silent on the grass, kneels beside him and weeps.
Symbols. The open gate stands for welcome, weeds and flowers for the equal worth of every life, and the acid for physical and emotional hurt. Mr Lamb's line that the world has a whole face and is there to be looked at turns Derry from his own face to the world.
What changes. Derry moves from hiding to wanting to go out. The ending is open and moving: he keeps his promise, though he may be too late.
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
The gate’s always open.
Mr Lamb: Repeated through Scene One.
Symbol of his welcome.
That’d do you more harm than any bottle of acid.
Mr Lamb: When Derry says he hates some people.
Hatred damages a person more than physical injury.
The world’s got a whole face, and the world’s there to be looked at.
Mr Lamb: When Derry says he will always have half a face.
He should look outward at the world.
Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age: key facts
- The two characters
Derry burnt face, defensive, hates pity Mr Lamb tin leg, open gate, weed garden, positive Common both hurt and both alone - Use as the opening of a comparison.
- Mr Lamb's lessons
- No pity, no fear
- All living things matter: weeds and flowers
- Hatred harms more than acid
- Look at the whole world
- Wait, watch and listen
- Each lesson changes Derry.
- The three scenes
One the garden talk Two Derry and his mother Three Mr Lamb falls from the ladder; Derry returns and weeps - Scene order for plot questions.
- Symbols
Open gate welcome Weeds and flowers equal value of life Acid hurt Crab apples the garden's gifts - Name the symbol and what it stands for.
How to answer Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age questions
Use this for questions on Derry, Mr Lamb, their friendship or the title.
- 1Describe Derry at the start: hurt, defensive, hates pity.
- 2Describe Mr Lamb: positive, welcoming, no pity or fear.
- 3Pick the lesson asked for: hatred and acid, weeds and flowers, or the whole face.
- 4Show the change in Derry: he returns despite his mother.
- 5Close with the ending: Derry weeps beside Mr Lamb.
Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Seeing a person beyond a disability or scar
Suppose a new student with a visible birthmark across his cheek joins a school and sits alone at lunch. A classmate asks him to join her group and talks about cricket rather than the birthmark.
How is her behaviour like Mr Lamb's, and what effect might it have?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Like Mr Lamb, she neither pities nor fears him.
- She treats him as an ordinary person with interests.
- He may begin to trust people and stop hiding, as Derry does.
Answer: She behaves like Mr Lamb by treating the boy as an equal. This can help him regain confidence, as Derry does.
Memory hook: Treat the person, not the scar.
Tricks to remember Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
G-A-W: Gate, Acid, Whole face
Three lines of Mr Lamb: the gate is open, hatred harms more than acid, the world has a whole face.
Use it when: Gives three quotations for any answer.
Weeds are life too
Weed and flower are both living things.
Use it when: For the question on Mr Lamb's philosophy.
He came back
Derry keeps his promise.
Use it when: For the ending.
Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: What was Derry afraid of? · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Why does Derry say people are afraid of him?
(a) He is rude (b) His face was eaten away by acid (c) He lives alone (d) He is very tall
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Derry says people are afraid of him because of his face, which was eaten away by acid (1 mark).
Answer: (b)
Example 2: Why is the gate always open? · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Why does Mr Lamb say the gate is always open?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- He tells Derry the gate is always open and everyone is welcome, so it shows his welcoming nature (1 mark).
Answer: Mr Lamb says the gate is always open to show that everyone is welcome in his garden, including Derry. He does not pity or fear anyone.
Example 3: Weeds and flowers · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Mr Lamb asks why one plant is called a weed and another a flower. What is he really saying about people? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Weeds and flowers are both living things (1).
- No person is worthless because of how he looks (1).
Answer: Mr Lamb says weeds and flowers are all living things, so the names are only human labels. He means that nobody should be rated by appearance. Derry, who thinks his face makes him worthless, learns that every life has value and that people are never just nothing.
Example 4: Changing the subject · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does Derry resent it when people change the subject after seeing his face? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- It shows people are uncomfortable (1).
- It makes him feel ashamed and avoided (1).
Answer: When people change the subject, Derry feels they are embarrassed or afraid of his face. Their awkward silence makes him feel avoided, pitied and ashamed. He wants to be treated normally, so he values Mr Lamb, who neither pities him nor changes the subject.
Example 5: Why does Derry return? · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Derry defies his mother to return to Mr Lamb's garden. What does this show about the changes in him, and what does the ending suggest? Write in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Introduction: Derry at the start (1).
- Body: effect of Mr Lamb and the confrontation with his mother (2).
- Ending: Mr Lamb fallen, Derry weeping (1).
- Conclusion and accuracy (1).
Answer: Derry's return shows how far he has changed. At the start he hides from people and resents pity. Mr Lamb treats him as an equal, tells him hatred is worse than acid and tells him the world has a whole face to look at. These words give Derry a wish for something of his own. When his mother, influenced by gossip, forbids him to return, he says that if he does not go back he will never go anywhere in the world again. This is a brave decision for a boy who was ready to hide. The ending is sad: he arrives to find Mr Lamb silent on the grass and he weeps. Yet he has kept his promise, unlike the people Mr Lamb expected not to come back.
Where students lose marks in Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Saying Mr Lamb pities Derry
He neither pities nor fears him.
Wrong working
Mr Lamb feels sorry for Derry and wants to help.
Right working
Mr Lamb does not pity Derry; he treats him as an equal.
Do this: Quote the open gate.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Confusing the acid line
Acid is a cause of Derry's injury, not Mr Lamb's.
Wrong working
Mr Lamb says acid burnt his leg.
Right working
Acid burnt Derry's face; Mr Lamb's leg was blown off in the war.
Do this: Acid = Derry, war = Mr Lamb.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Giving the story a happy ending
The last scene is Mr Lamb falling.
Wrong working
Derry returns and they become good friends.
Right working
Derry returns to find Mr Lamb fallen and silent, and he weeps.
Do this: Remember three scenes.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Vague theme answers
No lines are used.
Wrong working
The story teaches us to be kind.
Right working
The story teaches that appearance matters less than character, shown by the whole face line.
Do this: Attach a quotation.
Usually costs: 1 of 5 marks.
Exam tips
- Use the three lines gate, acid, whole face as quotations.
- Write Mr Lamb, not Lamb or the old man, in formal answers.
- Remember the order of scenes: garden, mother, fall.
- Mention the loneliness of both characters.
- Answer sensitively about disability and appearance.
Practice questions on Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
What happened to Mr Lamb's leg?
(a) It was injured in an accident (b) It was blown off in the war (c) It was burnt by acid (d) It was lost in the gardenHint
He has a tin leg.
Answer
(b) It was blown off in the war.
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does Derry laugh at the story of the man who locked himself in a room? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
What does the story show about hiding?
Answer
The man locked himself in a room out of fear of the world and was killed when a picture fell on his head. The story is comic but has a message: hiding does not make us safe. Derry laughs because he sees the foolishness of shutting oneself away from life.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Describe how Mr Lamb helps Derry change his attitude to himself and to the world. Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
No pity, weeds and flowers, whole face.
Answer
Mr Lamb helps Derry by treating him as an ordinary person. He neither pities nor fears his face. He lets Derry come in, says the gate is always open and talks about weeds and flowers being all living things. He shares his own pain, the tin leg, without self-pity, which shows Derry another way to live with hurt. When Derry says he hates some people, Mr Lamb warns him that hatred would harm him more than acid. When Derry says he will always have half a face, Mr Lamb tells him that the world has a whole face to be looked at. These lines turn Derry's eyes from himself to the world. By the end he wants to go out, takes the risk of returning, and shows courage.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the shared experience of hurt matter to the friendship of Derry and Mr Lamb? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Acid and war.
Answer
Derry carries an injury caused by acid, and Mr Lamb a tin leg from the war. Because each knows pain and stares, they understand each other without pity. Mr Lamb can speak to Derry as an equal, and Derry can listen, which begins their friendship.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
A reader says Derry's mother is wrong to forbid him. Evaluate this view in 40-50 words.
Hint
She acts from gossip but also from love.
Answer
She acts out of love and fear for her son, but she is wrong to rely on gossip and to cut him off from the only person who treats him as an equal. Her protectiveness would keep him hidden, which is why Derry rightly refuses to obey.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What damaged Derry's face?Show answer
Acid.
2.What do children call Mr Lamb?Show answer
Lamey-Lamb.
3.What does Mr Lamb say about weeds and flowers?Show answer
All are living things.
4.Who forbids Derry to go back?Show answer
His mother.
5.How does Mr Lamb fall?Show answer
From the ladder while picking crab apples.
6.What does Derry do at the end?Show answer
He kneels beside Mr Lamb and weeps.
Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age: frequently asked questions
Who wrote On the Face of It?
Susan Hill wrote it; it is a play in Vistas.
What is the theme of the play?
Appearance versus reality, loneliness, and a positive attitude to life.
Why is the play called On the Face of It?
It plays on Derry's face and on judging people by appearance.
What question types come from this play?
A 2-mark question on Mr Lamb's words, and a 5-mark question on Derry's change or appearance.