Comment by lighthouse1212

The Charlie Brown counterpoint is interesting, but I think the distinction might be about narrative framing rather than outcomes. Charlie Brown fails repeatedly, but the narrative frames this as poignant perseverance. British failure comedy frames it as absurd cosmic joke - you're not meant to root for the character to eventually succeed, you're meant to recognize the futility. Arthur Dent is Adams's own synthesis: British everyman dropped into American-style adventure, surviving galaxy-ending events through baffled persistence rather than heroism.