Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is too hard on Mike Teavee

You probably remember the story: five children win a lifetime supply of chocolate and a tour of Willy Wonka's factory. The hero, Charlie Bucket, is kind-hearted and generous, and the others...well, Augustus Gloop is a glutton, Veruca Salt is spoiled, self-obsessed Violet Beauregarde is a gum-chewing fanatic, and Mike Teavee—Mike is somewhat rude and maybe likes to watch too much TV. The novel is infused with sympathy and admiration for Charlie, loathing of the others, and approval of each child's fate—horrible bodily transformation for everyone, except Charlie, who receives the entire factory as a parting gift. The story's loathing manifests most clearly in the moralizing rhymes the Oompa-Loompas sing after each child gets in trouble. They condemn Mike as harshly as the others:

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, never, NEVER let
Them near your television set—

[...]

But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!

[...]

HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!

[...]

P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee,
We very much regret that we
Shall simply have to wait and see
If we can get him back his height.
But if we can't—it serves him right.

But Mike is not really that bad, and does not merit being so despised.

Wonka aside, the characters are one-dimensional. Charlie stands apart not because he is more complex but because we get more time with him, and so our feelings are richer. We admire him for loving and caring for his grandparents, sympathize as he suffers in poverty and hunger, and hope against hope with him as he unwraps chocolate bar after chocolate bar, looking for a golden ticket. We spend far less time with the wicked children and see almost nothing of their inner lives.

Except for Mike: while we don't get as much of him as of Charlie, there are hints that he is at least as interesting as the hero. True, Mike is as crudely-drawn as the others at first. He does not come off well. Visitors have filled his house, wanting to see the boy who unwrapped the fourth golden ticket, and Mike is annoyed, because they are making it hard for him to concentrate on the TV. Someone asks him a question and he shouts "Quiet!":