There is a great scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where “They all knew it was ridiculous to expect this one poor little bar of chocolate to have a magic ticket inside it, and they were trying as gently and as kindly as they could to prepare Charlie for the disappointment. But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance was there. The chance had to be there. This particular bar of chocolate had as much chance as any other of having a golden ticket.”

To think about – or discuss with a friend

  1. Why were the grown-ups trying to prepare Charlie for the disappointment?
  2. Why were the grown-ups just as tense and excited as Charlie?
  3. Why do we sometimes do things even when we “know” they will not work out?