"Kindness pays, rudeness never'. In the story 'The Rattrap' Edla'sattitude towards men and matter is different from her father's attitude. How are the values of concern and compassion brought out in the story
Meeting the ironmaster's daughter was a turning point for the peddler because her unbridled kindness and concern touched him deeply and spurred him to mend his ways. She convinced her father to allow him to stay on in their house to share the Christmas cheer. She made him believe in himself again, treated him like a captain in the army though she was well aware of the fact that he was a common tramp. It was as a token of appreciation for this treatment that he left the rattrap as a Christmas gift for the girls and enclosed a letter of thanks, leaving behind the stolen money to be restored to the owner. The peddler had never laid eyes on the ironmaster at Ramsjo and did not even know his name. But it occurred to him that if the fine gentleman thought that he was his old acquaintance by the name of Nils Olof then he might help him with a couple of kronor. He decided not to undeceive the man all at once and continued with the charade of being Nils Olof. He said that things were going downhill with him ever since he had resigned from the regiment to which the ironmaster retorted by saying that it was the gravest mistake he had committed. The peddler however could not be comfortable with the idea of going up to the manor house and be received by the owner like an old regimental comrade as it was not quite right to deceive a good man.