Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

“I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there.”

Harry’s assigned role in the Dursley’s dinner party, which he recites dutifully here, mirrors the role the Dursleys would prefer for him to play generally. Their determination to erase Harry and his magical abilities from their lives mirror their attempts to rid their lives of anything unusual, even things that have nothing to do with magic. The resulting flatness and superficiality of their existence form a critique of modern suburban life.

“Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard—like an equal—”

Dobby’s surprise at Harry’s simple invitation to sit down suggests that he has rarely, if ever, been on the receiving end of common courtesy. The later revelation that he belongs to the Malfoy family emphasizes their cruelty and abuse of him. That Harry, a relative outsider in the magical community, treats Dobby respectfully by default shows that the prejudice against non-human magical creatures is a learned, cultural response.

“Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys’ house burst with the strange and unexpected.”

The Weasleys and the Dursleys can be considered foil characters, just as their homes contrast with each other in many ways: one is urban, the other rural; one is a typical model, while the other is unique; one becomes a prison to Harry, while the other offers him the freedom to explore.