Wonka's smile faded a bit after hearing Dairine's old situation. As amazing as it was for her to be doing "real" magic, it seemed awfully unfeeling to have such a young girl out battling evil every day. Then again, this place didn't sound like it was much of an improvement. "I'm getting the feeling they do that for everyone, in his or her own way... you without your powers, me without my kitchen, and all those others on the bulletin board besides."

His smile began to return before long, however, and he continued, "But that bit about nobody here being quite normal is exactly what I think the key to all this is. Maybe what they're looking for is a variety... one example of every kind of character under the sun, human or nonhuman, wizard or candy-maker, the only pattern being that each one of us has something unique to add to the collection. The question is," he added, putting his hand to his chin again, "what's going to happen when they complete the set?" As he stood in thought, a worried look passed over his face, but he shook it off and said, "Well, all the more reason for us to find a way out of here, eh?"