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The Toad is the novel’s comic anti-hero. He harbors no ill will or bad intentions, and he does more harm to himself than to anyone else. He is simple-minded and obsessed with having the newest, flashiest, and fastest things, progressing from boats to carriages to motor cars. Despite his interests, he lacks practical skills and is unable to properly use the machines that fascinate him. The Toad wrecks everything he touches, as his barn filled with scrap attests. Nevertheless, because he is wealthy, he is accustomed to having his own way and being coddled, so for most of the novel he lacks humility and self-control. As his neighbors try to cultivate these traits in him, the Toad prefers to indulge in fantasies that border on madness, as when he repeatedly crashes the chairs he sets up in his bedroom as pretend motor cars.
The Toad fails to discover humility, even after a series of misadventures, ranging from being sent to jail to being tossed into the canal and losing control of his home. This proves how his arrogance damages his inheritance, his social standing, and even his health. But despite his bad deeds, the Toad transcends villainy to become a comic character whose repeated boasting always foreshadows his downfall. After the final battle scene, the Toad has a victory worth celebrating, but the dangers of permitting him to celebrate are by this point all too clear. He is not entirely reformed, but he shows that he is capable of keeping his boasting to himself and taking on a more humble public image, which shows growth.
