With the third week of kindergarten Charles was an institution in our family; the baby was being a Charles when she cried all afternoon; Laurie did a Charles when he filled his wagon full of mud and pulled it through the kitchen; even my husband, when he caught his elbow in the telephone cord and pulled the telephone and a bowl of flowers off the table, said, after the first minute, “Looks like Charles.” 

Laurie's parents were worried that Charles might be a bad influence on their little boy.

Shirley Jackson (1916–1965) was an American novelist and short story writer, most famous for her short story "The Lottery" (1948).  "Charles" is a favorite of many readers.