Kotter’s remedial class of Sweathogs is an interesting one, full of wiseguys. The four main guys are ethnically different and have different personalities. The fact that the Sweathogs take pride in Epstein’s favorite subject, assault and being voted as ‘most likely to take a life’ reveals that he is the tough guy. Barbarino takes pride in being the best ranker in all of Brooklyn. Freddy Washington is the athletic one who plays basketball and believes he will become an NBA player. Horshack is the innocent, odd one and my favorite. According to Kotter, these four aren’t students but rather “hit-men in waiting.”
The urban space Kotter occupies throughout Welcome Back, Kotter is one that is dangerous, ghetto yet diverse. It’s a neighborhood that Kotter doesn’t want to go back to because he had it rough in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He remembers that the gangs don’t use guns because they insert the bullets manually. The neighborhood of Bensonhurst is a part of Kotter because he grew up in it and though he refuses to accept it, it’s made him who he is today. The urban space he resides in is one that either forces people to accept their status or challenge it. Kotter chooses the latter as he used to be a Sweathog but made it out of Buchanan without handcuffs.
In the beginning, the class ignores Kotter and doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. However, once they find out that he used to be a Sweathog himself, they come to his apartment because he had some sort of an effect of them. They have some sort of respect for their teacher and can relate to him somewhat. Kotter used to be in their position and knows what it’s like to have people think you’re good for nothing. The Sweathogs look up to Kotter and are somewhat inspired by him. He made a difference in his life and became a teacher even though he was a founding member of the Sweathogs and grew up in the same neighborhood as Barbarino, Epstein, Washington and Horshack. Each of them want to make a difference in their life despite the negative connotations associated with growing up in Bensonhurst. Similar to Kotter, they want to become something more than a Sweathog.
Even though the setting is Bensonhurst, a dangerous neighborhood in Brooklyn, the characters make it an inviting space. The students and Kotter share a relationship that people would want to be a part of. There’s a sense of the students having each other’s backs and supporting one another. For example, Barbarino is willing to bribe Kotter to get him to pass Freddy so he can stay on the basketball team. The relationship they share is a genuine one as they truly care about each other.
