The Phantom Tollbooth Lesson Plan

Why do you think the title of chapter 5 is "Short Shrift"? What does that mean? Are there other characters so far in the book that have been named like this? What function does it have in the novel?

The title is named "Short Shrift" because Officer Shrift is very short. To give someone "short shrift" is to give someone brief and unsympathetic treatment; this is exactly how Officer Shrift treated Milo in investigating his supposed crime. Naming characters and places according to the abstract principle they represent or an aspect of their personality happens frequently in The Phantom Tollbooth. Examples:

Faintly Macabre -- the which is just a little bit dark

Whether Man --...