“When my brother Fudge was five, he discovered money in a big way.”

Peter sets the tone for the novel by directly addressing his brother’s fascination with money in the first line of the opening chapter. Fudge toes the line between interest and obsession, and as he navigates the world of money, Peter and his parents soon find themselves overwhelmed. Fudge is an intelligent child, but his understanding of socially acceptable topics and questions is lacking, much like any other child his age, and this fuels much of the comedy in the novel.

“I prayed no one from my class was at the store. No one who knows me or has ever known me. No one I might meet someday who would say, Oh yeah…you’re that kid with the weird brother who threw the fit at Harry’s.”

Embarrassment is always at the forefront of Peter’s mind, and the moment things start to go south in Harry’s shoe store, Peter begins to imagine the public humiliation that might follow. Peter has witnessed Fudge’s public tantrums before and has no desire to put himself through that again. He makes his quick escape from the shoe store, which shows that he is willing to abandon his family to escape embarrassment.

“You know how smart Fudge is. You know he’s very mature for his age.” 

Peter laughs when his mother says this, but there is plenty of truth in her statement. Fudge’s behavior might annoy Peter, but he is a very insightful little boy. Fudge has a big imagination and thinks creatively, often expressing himself in ways that perplex his family.