The History Boys

When reading the History Boys Act one for the first time, I have raised suspicion on many topics.

First being, what makes Hector eccentric? When Hector is first introduced there is no shying away from the personality of Hector, an original but also loose cannon.  Hector's role in this play seems to add a bite to the whole story, his importance is too disrupt the norms of the 80's. This is done by not following the prescribed teaching paths, his methods are not concerned with conclusive techniques. Hector doesn't seem to worry if his boys do not understand his subject, merely that they will have memorized every passage from the books, poems and films, which they will understand and appreciate later on in life. Considering Hector is an undoubtedly popular teacher his old ways push through and reflect on him and his teaching. Hector shows no interest in exams and believes that teaching is about the pursuit of knowledge.
Also, why did the line.. 'There is a world elsewhere' Hector stand out to me? This line bugged me after reading over, specifically because Hector himself enjoys telling the boys stories from his own life, so of course it seems natural for Hector to remark on there being other things out there in the world. But, why does this line seem so cocky after referencing about what University to go to, as if there are other University's out there. This line seems to have two meanings, a positive and also a negative. The positive being, explore your options, and the negative being explore your other options. Personally, i think this line and its true meaning depends on the reader themselves. When reading many times, my conclusion was to decide the line was meant intentionally with a underlying message.