Danny is one of Dahl's most gentle and thoughtful young protagonists. He is observant, imaginative and deeply devoted to his father. Unlike many Dahl heroes, he faces no domestic cruelty — his goodness comes not from adversity but from being well loved.
Danny's father is one of Dahl's greatest characters — warm, funny, imaginative and deeply loving. He tells Danny extraordinary bedtime stories (‘Danny, you are the only navigator’). He treats Danny as an equal and is entirely honest with him. His love of poaching is presented not as wickedness but as a romantic, ancestral tradition — a way of asserting the rights of ordinary people against the powerful.
The villain is a rich, snobbish car dealer who owns a large estate and throws a pheasant-shooting party every autumn. He is contemptuous of everyone around him and represents undeserved privilege and arrogance. His humiliation is entirely satisfying.
The other villagers — the doctor, the local constable, various adults — are largely sympathetic to Danny's father and help where they can. They represent the idea of a community united against a common oppressor.
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