Character Analysis
The Great Stromboli's the world's greatest puppeteer—or so we hear. Even if he's not, however, the dude is a shrewd businessman who won't let something silly like human rights (or puppet rights?) get in the way of a quick buck.
Stromboli seems decent at first, but he pulls a complete 180 after the show ends, threatening Pinocchio and basically saying that he owns him.
Check it out:
STROMBOLI: To me, you are a belonging. [...] You will make lots of money—for me. And when you are growing too old, you will make good firewood.
In other words, the dude is literally advocating murder. Yikes. Though he's an awful boss, the Great Stromboli at least teaches Pinocchio that he shouldn't inherently trust everyone he meets.
Plus, we hear that his cousin, the Adequate Calzone, is far more skilled at stagecraft, anyway.