Answer. The peddler was a poor vagabond, who sold self made rattraps to earn his livelihood. His business did not do well so he resorted to petty thievery from time to time. The philosopher in him visualised the world as a big rattrap and its people as rats, who easily fell into the trap of allurement . He too could not resist the allurement when the crofter showed the three ten kronor notes. He again found himself in the rattrap when he could not decline Edla's constant persuasion to come to her house for the Christmas. There he got exposed and left the house leaving the stolen money for Edla to return it to the crofter. Thus we see that the peddler was endowed with common human weaknesses and virtues. He was the outcome of the circumstances he lived in. Dire poverty tempted this vagabond to steal, but the basic human goodness had always been there within his soul. Edlas' care, understanding and love helped in awakening his virtues and he changed into a noble man at the end of the story.