Final answer:
Laurie created the imaginary boy Charles as a way to shift the blame onto someone else for his mischievous actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Laurie created the imaginary boy Charles as a way to express his own mischievous behaviors and shift the blame onto someone else. In the short story 'Charles' by Shirley Jackson, Laurie comes home from school every day with stories about the misbehavior of his classmate Charles. However, it is later revealed that Charles is actually an imaginary friend that Laurie made up. By creating Charles, Laurie is able to divert attention away from himself and avoid taking responsibility for his actions.