How does the white reformatory worker’s attitude toward Absalom differ from all the other people who have interacted with Absalom that Kumalo meets?

The white reformatory worker has nothing but good things to say about Absalom: he has excelled at the reformatory, achieving position of head boy, and taken on a good factory job to provide for his soon-to-be wife and child. He is the first person to say anything positive about Absalom’s behavior, as all the other people Kumalo meets indicate Absalom has gotten involved in criminal activity, and are afraid to be associated with him.