Why did edla still entertain the peddler?

It is a question of profound compassion, you see. Edla looked beyond the peddler's deception. She saw a frightened human being who had known nothing but rejection. For her, it became a matter of principle. She had promised him a day of peace and Christmas cheer. To turn him out into the cold after making such a promise felt deeply wrong. More than this, she believed that treating him with dignity, as if he were a real captain, could awaken the goodness trapped within him. It was a beautiful act of faith in his hidden humanity.