Sure, he's ornery. Sure, he's a prankster. In some ways, he makes Tommy's life as a paperboy pretty miserable. On the other hand, he's a lot of fun.
Mr. Glad lives to torment Tommy, deriding his deliveries as a "motor route" and offering some questionable life advice in the form of "tips." He puts Tommy's picture up in the post office as a "wanted" poster and misleads him about the nature of a certain outbuilding on his property.
On the other hand, Mr. Glad reaps what he sows. Tommy gets him pretty good a couple of times.
A shrewd businessman, Mr. Glad is a pillar in the Williamsburg community. He once served as commissioner of the youth baseball league and coached his kids when they were younger. The founder of a successful transportation business, he's semi-retired but keeps a finger on the pulse.
With a sharp wit and the innate ability to push Tommy's buttons, Mr. Glad loves to tease his paperboy. He delights in promising him a "tip" only to pull the rug out from under him like Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the football.
When his community needs him most, though, Mr. Glad steps up. And for Tommy, one of his "tips" finally pays huge dividends.
