Billy Weaver

Billy is a 17-year-old man who has recently been employed and assigned to a branch in his company’s office in Bath, and he is the protagonist of the story. Billy searches for affordable accommodation, and he is comfortable with the idea of residing in a pub. However, fate leads him to a bed and breakfast, a place at which he is apprehensive about staying. Despite his initial hesitation, the pleasant demeanor of the landlady and the affordable prices lure convince him to stay.

Dahl uses the narration at the beginning of the story to represent Billy’s inexperience in life. While Billy is walking down the street in Bath, he thinks about his “new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat” (3) among other new items of clothing. The repetition of ‘new’ to describe Billy’s work clothes presents Billy as inexperienced. This is because Billy’s...