Character Analysis
So…Paul's father. Where is he? We don't even get a name for him; he's just a figure we catch a glimpse of here and there.
We know that he has expensive tastes and that he hasn't had much luck making money. He's not involved in his children's lives at all, and the story doesn't say anything about his interactions with his wife, except at the very end when she asks him about Malabar.
The virtual absence of Paul's father in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" leaves a gap in the family that Hester tries to fill with her attempts at making money and by guiding Paul's education, while Paul tries to fill the gap by gambling at the racetrack.