Background

Padre Millon started out as a young Dominican professor teaching in the College of San Juan de Letran.
He was widely respected because he was good at dialects and philosophy, which caused him to be
liked by elders and envied by younger people. However, he believed too much in Jesuit ideals and
became prohibited from saying Mass.

Padre Millon transferred to University of Santo Tomas and has been teaching for three years.
Throughout his career, he has taught geography (even though he didn’t believe that the earth was
round) and canon law. By teaching canon law he learned the “language of the streets”, allowing him to
communicate better with students. It is his first year teaching physics and chemistry and he is already
seen as an expert by many. He has extensive knowledge in physics but does not know much about
chemistry. He is considered the first to not believe in the chemistry of Saint Thomas and does not
consider water a mixture.

Personality

Padre Millon is a strict professor who easily punishes those in class who don’t follow his rules. He
demands that everyone recite the lesson word for word from the book, even though he himself tends to
reject knowledge he has been taught, claiming that he does not like science even though he teaches
science subjects. He also refuses to believe that the earth being round and water being a mixture.

Padre Millon is also moody and prone to showing favoritism: in Chapter 13, he goes from joking with
Juanito Pelaez to insulting Placido Penitente, to getting mad at the whole class in one session. He
shows dislike for students who do not conform. This is seen when he targets Placido Penitente just
because he wears nice boots and gets upset when Placido Penitente talks back to him

Padre Millon talks like he is “from the streets” and often jokes with his students. However, his lack of
respect for them becomes obvious when he purposely humiliates his students by insulting them in front
of the entire class. He does not realize that ranting for the rest of the period makes the rest of the class
hate him rather than agree with him.

Philosophy

“Is it that not being actually present necessarily implies knowledge? What do you have to
say to me, philosophaster?” (Padre Millon to Placido Penitente, Chapter 13)
Padre Millon believes his strength lays “in the philosophical, purely speculative” and will often discuss
philosophical questions even while teaching a class such as Physics. He confuses students during
recitation by asking them a philosophical question even though they’re supposed to recite from the
book word for word. When Placido Penitente tries to argue logic with him, he gets angry and debates
back, accusing Placido Penitente of trying to be a philosopher.