Seems to me the shameless bully character in Tom Brown was the namesake and inspiration for the main character in Fraser's Flashman series of books.

The Flashman books hold a special place in my library, a library not usually given over to fiction. My father and I between us bought the lot, each as they came out. The initial purchaser of course had the privilege of reading the book first, then would ship it across the pond to the other. As the series went on, of course, I had returned to the Left Side of the Great Puddle so the arrangement continued face-to-face. I still have those very volumes today.

I very much need to read the series again; memories of the friendship we had after I was an adult are always most excellent ones.

My school days though, however formative, are not recalled with any fondness. I survived by immersing myself in model-building and such solo pursuits, and my circle of real friends were of the four-legged variety. Probably why my loathing of humans in general is still so ingrained and my (possibly socially unhealthy) comfort amongst the Pride comes so naturally, if I were to psychoanalyse myself a bit.