Chapter the-rattrap: The Rattrap | Short Questions

The peddler initially refused the Ironmaster's invitation because he was carrying stolen money and feared being caught. However, Edla was much more persuasive. She looked at him with compassion and noticed he looked afraid. She assured him that he would be allowed to leave whenever he wanted, just as freely as he came. Her friendly manner and the sense of security she provided made him feel he could trust her, which eventually gave him the confidence to go with her.

The peddler's primary business was making and selling small wire rattraps, which he made from materials he begged for. However, this business was not profitable enough to sustain him. To survive, he had to resort to both begging and petty thievery. His physical appearance reflected this struggle, as he wore rags, his cheeks were sunken, and hunger was always visible in his eyes. He lived a life of extreme poverty where even basic needs were hard to meet.

When the Ironmaster saw the peddler in the dim light of the furnace, he mistook him for an old acquaintance from his regiment, Nils Olof, also known as Captain von Stahle. He felt bad seeing his 'old friend' in such a miserable condition and thought that things had gone 'downhill' for him. Driven by a sense of old camaraderie and the festive spirit of Christmas, he wanted to bring the 'Captain' home to give him a proper Christmas meal.

Initially, the peddler felt quite pleased with his 'smartness' after stealing the thirty kronor. However, he soon realized that walking on the public highway was dangerous. He turned into the forest, but as the day progressed, the forest became a confusing maze. He kept walking in circles and eventually realized he had let himself be fooled by a bait. He felt trapped and exhausted, viewing the forest as a prison from which there was no escape, leading to deep despair.

The peddler signed the letter as Captain von Stahle because Edla had treated him with the respect and honor due to a Captain, even after knowing his true identity. By doing so, she gave him the chance to live up to that high standard. He signed it this way to show that her trust had elevated him from a thief to a man of dignity. It was his way of saying he had finally freed himself from the 'rattrap' of his old life.