The Wormwoods' Criminal Flight

This subplot tracks Mr. Wormwood’s dishonest business from boastful profiteering to the rushed escape that reshapes Matilda Wormwood’s family life.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Fraud as a Business Method

The Dealer's Tricks Mr. Wormwood describes adding sawdust to gearboxes and rewinding odometers to raise a car’s selling price. Values He teaches his son that customers exist to be cheated. Consequence The family’s money and status depend on deception rather than honest work.

Matilda's Moral Objection

A Child Names the Wrong Matilda tells her father that his methods are dishonest and shameful. Retort He argues that the family’s meals are paid for by the proceeds. Consequence Their disagreement reveals a sharp divide between Matilda’s moral judgment and her father’s self-interest.

A School Purchase

Fraud Reaches the School Miss Trunchbull boasts that Mr. Wormwood sold her a nearly new car that soon failed. Exposure The vehicle’s condition confirms the kind of deception Matilda has described. Consequence Her father's conduct brings his private business practices into direct conflict with school authority.

Police Pressure

The Consequences Close In Miss Honey tells Matilda that the police may be pursuing her father for handling stolen cars. Flight The family packs rapidly for Spain, where he believes he can avoid arrest. Consequence Criminal conduct becomes the immediate force driving Matilda’s separation from her parents.

The Car Disappears

A Family Leaves The Wormwoods drive away for good, with Michiel and Mrs. Wormwood following Mr. Wormwood’s hurried plan. Indifference They do not look back as Matilda stays behind. Consequence Their flight ends their daily control over her, though it does not resolve their own fate.

Before Matilda's school years

During the family television dinner

Before Miss Honey's first meeting with Miss Trunchbull

The evening of the family's departure

At the end of the novel