theme of good and evil

I think that fear and ignorance breed evil and, in the book, the Dursleys' display these traits. They fear anything to do outside their very narrow understanding of the world. They abuse Harry because he represents what they fear: they are also just nasty people. Petunia Dursley swung a frying pan at Harry's head. They also made Harry sleep in a cupboard for ten years and deprived him of necessities in life. This treatment serves as a prelude to the more metaphysical evil that will follow in the book.