The peddler comes out as a person with a great sense of humour. How does this serve in lightening the seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him to us?

The peddler is presented with a great sense of humour by the writer. He goes around selling self-made small rattraps of wire. The rattraps are dangling over his chest and not a single one is shown sold. His business was not profitable so he indulges in begging and petty thievery to keep body and soul alive. He has fallen into a line of thought that the whole world is nothing but a big rattrap offering riches joys, shelter, food, like the bait of a rattrap. Anyone who touches it, it is closed in on him bringing an end for everything to him. Still he steals thirty Kronor of the old crofter who gave him a good hospitality later he thinks that it is his turn now to be caught in the big world rattrap when he is unable to move out of the forest.

The ironmaster of the Ramsjo, Ironmills talks to him thinking to be his old regimental comrade. But he does not clear his identity and answers. “Yes, God knows things have gone downhill with me.“The peddler keeps quiet when he is told that he should not have resigned from the regiment, that was his mistake. He knowingly befools the iron-master. While going to the manor house he feels that he has thrown himself voluntarily into the lion’s den. The ironmaster feels his mistake and threatens to call the shiriff. The peddler says, “It is not my fault, sir.” But no harm has been done. At worst I can put on my rags again and go away.”

While leaving in his letter to Edla he says.

“Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to you in return, as if I was a real captain.” It sounds surprisingly mysterious.

Finally, he gives a rattrap to Edla as a “Christmas present from a rat.” He writes that he would have been caught in the world's rattrap, if he had not been raised to a captain.