> Consider the sadistic cruelty

Well, I uh, can't do that if I don't see it.

I think Wonka's character is a great way to personify the distant coldness of the industrialized corporate bosses of Dahl's day and our own.

I can't honestly say that Wonka exhibited any sadism or cruelty. He simply acted as a corporate boss. He was distant, apathetic, unemotional. His Oompa-Loompas were there to do his bidding and nothing more. The children he invited in, well, he CYA'd with the initial contract, [that's why he's unworried about law enforcement, in civil matters], and the misfortunes they met were definitely not at his own hand. They were simply "occupational hazards" from inexperienced and careless persons getting too close to the industrial machinery.

Wonka was never gratified or pleased when someone got hurt, even while lacking regret or remorse. And he was often right there to give assurances to the parents, about the incinerator or the squeezing process or something. Wilder's comic portrayal was masterful as he remained aloof, with a thousand-year-stare in those closeups; his business patter undisturbed by the strange happenings around him; he simply didn't care about this world and was floating in an executive bubble that no other character could understand. He was a politician with no stake in human suffering.

As far as showing off trade secrets -- won't read TFA but -- Wonka was essentially giving a Guided Tour for the entire plot. The kids straying from the path, were all meeting misfortune when they did it. They saw what they saw when they saw it, and then they were ushered onwards. Slugworth's entire plan revolved around reverse-engineering a prototype, and that's all he could do!

Tell me, if a group of five innocent children and parents toured a real-world modern manufacturing plant or data center, what sort of Trade Secrets would they steal when they were dismissed at the end of a long day? Especially after four were chewed up in the machinery quite early on

A sadistic and cruel business owner would not have hundreds of healthy Oompa-Loompas or a worthy successor who was happy to take over the business after the glass elevator ride.

Even when i was reading them as a child i was disturbed by Wonkas cruelty. The spiteful nature of Dahl comes through in all off his books. He was an excellent writer and i've read all of his books. But my parents made it clear that i shouldn't draw any moral lessons from them. (for clarification he was an open anti semite)