William Wallace took out loans to complete his college education. After graduation, Wallace was irregularly employed as a history teacher. Eventually, he filed a petition in a federal bankruptcy court under Chapter 13. The court confirmed a five-year plan under which Wallace was required to commit all of his disposable income to paying the student loans. Less than a year later, when Wallace was laid off, he still owed more than $100,000 to the Royal Scottish Lending Corporation. Wallace asked the court to discharge the debt on the ground that it would be an undue hardship for him to pay it.