Draco Malfoy has never suffered a day in his life. The same cannot be said for Ahab. Being a sea captain means that physical discomfort is a way of life. Suffering has a way of marking people that makes them more introspective.

Draco is a bully. Bullies are cowards. Ahab wasn't a coward but he wasn't right-thinking either. After surviving Nature for so many years, he believed that Nature respected him and he would always survive. He was wrong.

Draco is a pampered brat who believes that if he isn't the strongest wizard, it doesn't matter. With his dad's money, he can hire any number of thugs to do
his diry work. To Draco, quantity is better than quality any day. I think he would
make a great politician. He's two-faced when he's around people who "count." He'll throw money at anything before he'll get his hands dirty and he'd sell his best "friend" down the river if it was to his advantage.

Literary comparisons? The whole Harry Potter series reminds me of David Copperfield, The Old Curiosity Shop etc. Charles Dickens' books are tough to chew through unfortunately. It's like sitting through a never-ending Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. Arrrgh!

Happily, Harry Potter books are incredibly interesting.