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“He spoils her,” Grandpa Joe said. “And no good can ever come from spoiling a child like that, Charlie, you mark my words.”
Grandpa Joe makes this comment when he reads the interview with the Salt family in Chapter 6 (The First Two Finders). These words foreshadow Veruca’s later ordeal in the Nut Room, where her refusal to hear the word “no” leads to the squirrels throwing her down the garbage chute. However, this comment can apply to all the four bad children. For each of the four, their parents enable their bad behaviors, leading them to misadventure in the factory.
“You know something,” the fat shopkeeper said, pausing a moment and smiling at Charlie, “I have a feeling you needed a break like this. I’m awfully glad you got it. Good luck to you, sonny.”
Here, the shopkeeper wishes Charlie well after he finds the golden ticket in Chapter 11 (The Miracle). Although most of the incidents of characters getting their deserved punishments in the novel involve consequences for bad behavior, the entire story revolves around good and kind Charlie getting what he deserves. The book makes it clear in the early chapters that the Bucket family doesn’t deserve their misfortunes, and Charlie’s grandparents in particular lament that such a good kid has to suffer. The shopkeeper’s joy at seeing Charlie catch a break echoes the reader’s joy at seeing a nice kid like Charlie succeed.
“She’ll be purple?” cried Mr. Wonka. “A fine rich purple from head to toe! But there you are! That’s what comes from chewing disgusting gum all day long!”
Willy Wonka makes this comment to Charlie in Chapter 22 (Along the Corridor) after Charlie asks whether Violet will still be purple after being juiced. Although Wonka is always quick to emphasize that all the kids will make it out of the factory alive, here he admits that they will be physically changed by their experiences. His flippant attitude about Violet turning purple emphasizes his belief that her mishap was the inevitable result of her behavior.
Who are the culprits? Who did that? / Alas! You needn’t look so far / To find out who these sinners are. / They are (and this is very sad) / Her loving parents, MUM and DAD. / And that is why we’re glad they fell / Into the rubbish chute as well.
Here the Oompa-Loompas sing their taunting song about the Salt family being sent down the garbage chute in Chapter 24 (Veruca in the Nut Room). They emphasize how pleased they are that Mr. and Mrs. Salt joined Veruca in the garbage chute because they allowed Veruca’s behavior by giving in to her every whim. The very behavior of kicking and screaming that Mr. Salt wants to avoid by giving in to Veruca’s demands only creates more kicking and screaming. By sending the Salts down the garbage chute with Veruca, they are forced to reckon with the mess they created themselves.
P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee, / We very much regret that we / Shall simply have to wait and see / If we can get him back his height. / But if we can’t—it serves him right.
This quotation is an excerpt from the Oompa-Loompa song in Chapter 27 (Mike Teavee is Sent by Television). As with each of their songs, the Oompa-Loompas are taunting and gleeful about Mike Teavee’s mishap, and their “it serves him right” stance reads as particularly harsh. However, each of the bad children’s accidents are tied directly to their defining vices. In accordance with the Oompa-Loompas’ belief that TV makes a child’s imagination smaller, Mike’s television incident literally shrinks him down. The Oompa-Loompas see him shrinking as taking the damage he has already done to himself and making it physical.
