Ed Boone

Outer characterization

A key character in Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- Time is Ed Boone, who is Christopher’s father. He has a business repairing and maintaining people’s heating systems and boilers. 

Inner characterization

Ed is sensitive to Christopher’s needs

Ed understands Christopher’s behavioral problems and his specific needs. Early in the novel, we discover that he and Christopher have come up with some strategies for dealing with Christopher’s fears: 

Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people, so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me. (p. 21)

Ed seems to...