Who is little Davy?

The people of this little town cannot keep killing some citizen every year without adding to the population. Otherwise they would eventually stone themselves out of existence. That explains the importance of the character called little Davy. He is the newest addition to the town and represents all the children who are being born to make up for all the people who are getting stoned to death. Little Davy is also significant because the author shows how he is being conditioned to believe in and participate in the annual death-lottery. He is too young to understand what is going on. Nevertheless, he is a full-fledged participant. He can get stoned to death himself if he draws the wrong slip of paper, and he will be shown how to take part in the stoning.
Mr, Graves took the hand of the little boy, who came willingly with him up to the box. "Take a paper out of the box, Davy," Mr. Summers said. Davy put his hand into the box and laughed. "Take just one paper," Mr. Summers said. "Harry, you hold it for him." Mr. Graves took the child's hand and removed the folded paper from the tight fist and held it while little Dave stood next to him and looked up at him wonderingly.
(It is a nice touch to have Davy's hand held by a man named Mr. Graves.)
Tessie Hutchinson is little Davy's mother. It is understandable that she should be making such a loud protest about the way the drawing has been conducted. She is in a lose-lose situation. If she doesn't get stoned to death herself, she will have to participate in stoning her husband, her son Bill Jr., her daughter Nancy, or little Dave. This part of the lottery seems the most insidiously sadistic. Once a family has been selected, then they have to choose one of their own members as that year's victim. It turns out to be Tessie herself who draws the slip with the black mark. Little Davy's indoctrination is complete when he joins his father, his older brother, his older sister, and all their friends and neighbors in stoning his mother to death.
The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.
Davy is too young to understand what is happening. He must think it is all a game. But he will learn more each year--if he survives. In the meantime other children will be born to replace the townspeople who are stoned to death. Nancy Hutchinson is twelve years old, and she has some girlfriends about the same age. It won't be too long before they will be married and having children--if they survive the annual lotteries.