Facts About The Dursleys The Movies Left Out

The Dursleys are Harry Potter's neglectful guardians and the only family he has, but the books reveal just how horrible they really are. In the Harry Potter movies, the Dursleys are a despicable family who treats their nephew with nothing but contempt. 

Their portrayal can often be comical, but the overall impression left to audiences is one of utter dislike. 

Between their sickening reverence of their son, and their horrible treatment of their nephew, there is little about the Dursleys to find appealing. The book's portrayal of this family didn't give readers any more reason to like them. However, there are many details about the Dursleys that fans who only watched the movies will have missed out on that help paint a more complete picture of this problematic family.

They Were Physically Abusive

While the Dursleys were certainly unkind to Harry in the movies, the books reveal them to be downright abusive. Harry is all too used to avoiding them, once dodging a frying pan from Petunia, and always staying an arm's length from Vernon to avoid being hit.

These mentions of physical abuse show that Harry didn't just undergo unkind words, but actual violence. This contrasted with the picture-perfect image that they presented to their neighbors and revealed a more tragic perspective to Harry's childhood.

They Kept Harry Only To Protect Themselves

When Dumbledore leaves Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep, he also leaves a letter explaining how Lily and James were killed. He explains that Lily's sacrifice for Harry will continue to protect him and whomever he resides with, but only as long as he shares a home with Lily's blood relative.

While Petunia doesn't understand magic and its complexities, she fully understands that the forces that killed her sister could easily harm her and her family as well. Therefore, she agrees to take in her nephew, not for the love of her sister, but in order to protect her own family.

They Withheld Food In Order To Punish Harry 

In the Chamber of Secrets movie, Harry is punished by being locked in his room with windows barred until he is rescued that night. In the book, three days pass before Harry escapes. During that time, Petunia serves Harry scanty amounts of food, such as a single piece of toast. By the time Harry is rescued, he is extremely hungry.