diff --git a/controller/proxy-injector/webhook_test.go b/controller/proxy-injector/webhook_test.go
index 1e192876f6911..ba7df40fe5b35 100644
--- a/controller/proxy-injector/webhook_test.go
+++ b/controller/proxy-injector/webhook_test.go
@@ -105,22 +105,11 @@ func TestGetPodPatch(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		}
 
-		expectedPatchBytes, err := factory.FileContents("pod.patch.json")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		expectedPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(expectedPatchBytes)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-
+		_, expectedPatch := loadPatch(factory, t, "pod.patch.json")
 		for _, testCase := range testCases {
 			testCase := testCase // pin
 			t.Run(testCase.filename, func(t *testing.T) {
-				pod, err := factory.FileContents(testCase.filename)
-				if err != nil {
-					t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-				}
+				pod := fileContents(factory, t, testCase.filename)
 
 				fakeReq := getFakePodReq(pod)
 				fullConf := testCase.conf.
@@ -135,10 +124,7 @@ func TestGetPodPatch(t *testing.T) {
 				if err != nil {
 					t.Fatalf("Unexpected PatchForAdmissionRequest error: %s", err)
 				}
-				actualPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(patchJSON)
-				if err != nil {
-					t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-				}
+				actualPatch := unmarshalPatch(t, patchJSON)
 				if diff := deep.Equal(expectedPatch, actualPatch); diff != nil {
 					t.Fatalf("The actual patch didn't match what was expected.\n%+v", diff)
 				}
@@ -147,17 +133,9 @@ func TestGetPodPatch(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Run("by checking annotations with debug", func(t *testing.T) {
-		expectedPatchBytes, err := factory.FileContents("pod-with-debug.patch.json")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-
-		expectedPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(expectedPatchBytes)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
+		_, expectedPatch := loadPatch(factory, t, "pod-with-debug.patch.json")
 
-		pod, err := factory.FileContents("pod-with-debug-enabled.yaml")
+		pod := fileContents(factory, t, "pod-with-debug-enabled.yaml")
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
 		}
@@ -172,29 +150,16 @@ func TestGetPodPatch(t *testing.T) {
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Unexpected PatchForAdmissionRequest error: %s", err)
 		}
-		actualPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(patchJSON)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
+		actualPatch := unmarshalPatch(t, patchJSON)
 		if diff := deep.Equal(expectedPatch, actualPatch); diff != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("The actual patch didn't match what was expected.\n%+v", diff)
 		}
 	})
 
 	t.Run("by checking pod inherits config annotations from namespace", func(t *testing.T) {
-		expectedPatchBytes, err := factory.FileContents("pod-with-ns-annotations.patch.json")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		expectedPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(expectedPatchBytes)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
+		_, expectedPatch := loadPatch(factory, t, "pod-with-ns-annotations.patch.json")
 
-		pod, err := factory.FileContents("pod-inject-enabled.yaml")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
+		pod := fileContents(factory, t, "pod-inject-enabled.yaml")
 		fakeReq := getFakePodReq(pod)
 		conf := confNsWithConfigAnnotations().
 			WithKind(fakeReq.Kind.Kind).
@@ -211,20 +176,14 @@ func TestGetPodPatch(t *testing.T) {
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Unexpected PatchForAdmissionRequest error: %s", err)
 		}
-		actualPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(patchJSON)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
+		actualPatch := unmarshalPatch(t, patchJSON)
 		if diff := deep.Equal(expectedPatch, actualPatch); diff != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("The actual patch didn't match what was expected.\n+%v", diff)
 		}
 	})
 
 	t.Run("by checking container spec", func(t *testing.T) {
-		deployment, err := factory.FileContents("deployment-with-injected-proxy.yaml")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
+		deployment := fileContents(factory, t, "deployment-with-injected-proxy.yaml")
 
 		fakeReq := getFakePodReq(deployment)
 		conf := confNsDisabled().WithKind(fakeReq.Kind.Kind)
@@ -250,38 +209,10 @@ func TestGetAnnotationPatch(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
 	}
 	t.Run("by checking patch annotations", func(t *testing.T) {
-		servicePatchBytes, err := factory.FileContents("annotation.patch.json")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		servicePatch, err := unmarshalPatch(servicePatchBytes)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		podPatchBytes, err := factory.FileContents("annotation.patch.json")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		podPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(podPatchBytes)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		filteredServiceBytes, err := factory.FileContents("filtered-service-opaque-ports.json")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		filteredServicePatch, err := unmarshalPatch(filteredServiceBytes)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		filteredPodBytes, err := factory.FileContents("filtered-pod-opaque-ports.json")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
-		filteredPodPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(filteredPodBytes)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-		}
+		servicePatchBytes, servicePatch := loadPatch(factory, t, "annotation.patch.json")
+		podPatchBytes, podPatch := loadPatch(factory, t, "annotation.patch.json")
+		filteredServiceBytes, filteredServicePatch := loadPatch(factory, t, "filtered-service-opaque-ports.json")
+		filteredPodBytes, filteredPodPatch := loadPatch(factory, t, "filtered-pod-opaque-ports.json")
 		var testCases = []struct {
 			name               string
 			filename           string
@@ -362,10 +293,7 @@ func TestGetAnnotationPatch(t *testing.T) {
 		for _, testCase := range testCases {
 			testCase := testCase // pin
 			t.Run(testCase.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-				service, err := factory.FileContents(testCase.filename)
-				if err != nil {
-					t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-				}
+				service := fileContents(factory, t, testCase.filename)
 				fakeReq := getFakeServiceReq(service)
 				fullConf := testCase.conf.
 					WithKind(fakeReq.Kind.Kind).
@@ -386,10 +314,7 @@ func TestGetAnnotationPatch(t *testing.T) {
 				if len(testCase.expectedPatchBytes) == 0 {
 					return
 				}
-				actualPatch, err := unmarshalPatch(patchJSON)
-				if err != nil {
-					t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
-				}
+				actualPatch := unmarshalPatch(t, patchJSON)
 				if diff := deep.Equal(testCase.expectedPatch, actualPatch); diff != nil {
 					t.Fatalf("The actual patch didn't match what was expected.\n%+v", diff)
 				}
@@ -420,12 +345,27 @@ func ownerRetrieverFake(p *corev1.Pod) (string, string, error) {
 	return pkgK8s.Deployment, "owner-deployment", nil
 }
 
-func unmarshalPatch(patchJSON []byte) (unmarshalledPatch, error) {
-	var actualPatch unmarshalledPatch
-	err := json.Unmarshal(patchJSON, &actualPatch)
+func loadPatch(factory *fake.Factory, t *testing.T, name string) ([]byte, unmarshalledPatch) {
+	t.Helper()
+	bytes := fileContents(factory, t, name)
+	patch := unmarshalPatch(t, bytes)
+	return bytes, patch
+}
+
+func fileContents(factory *fake.Factory, t *testing.T, name string) []byte {
+	t.Helper()
+	b, err := factory.FileContents(name)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
 	}
+	return b
+}
 
-	return actualPatch, nil
+func unmarshalPatch(t *testing.T, patchJSON []byte) unmarshalledPatch {
+	t.Helper()
+	var actualPatch unmarshalledPatch
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(patchJSON, &actualPatch); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %s", err)
+	}
+	return actualPatch
 }