Brave, resourceful and matter-of-fact. The boy narrates the story in a calm, practical tone that makes the horror of the witches both funnier and more unsettling. His close relationship with his grandmother is the emotional heart of the novel.
The boy's Norwegian grandmother is one of Dahl's finest characters. She is wise, brave, warm and extraordinary — a former witch-hunter who lost a finger to a witch. She accepts the boy's transformation into a mouse with practical love, telling him that a mouse with a happy life is far better than a human with an unhappy one.
The ruler of all the world's witches is one of Dahl's most terrifying creations. She hides her true face behind a beautiful mask. Beneath it, she is ancient and horrible. She rules through terror and has killed witches who disappointed her.
A boy turned into a mouse during the Grand High Witch's demonstration. Greedy and unpleasant, he was lured by the promise of free chocolate. He is transformed back to human at the end.