Schroeder (Peanuts) arrives with a toy violin and asks Schroeder if he could play Beethoven on it, and Schroeder scoffs at such an absurd idea. Peppermint Patty once called Schroeder a "miniature Leonard Bernstein" after she heard him whistling a classical piece during a ball game shortly after she was introduced to the strip and briefly took over management of the team. Schroeder's other distinguishing mark as a character is his constant refusal of Lucy's love. Lucy is infatuated with Schroeder, and frequently lounges against his piano while he is playing, professing her love for him. But Beethoven was a lifelong bachelor,
Schroeder (Peanuts) and Schroeder feels he must emulate every aspect of his idol's life, even if he reciprocates Lucy's feelings. In a story arc where she and the rest of her family have moved out of town (also seen in the TV special "Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?"), Schroeder becomes frustrated with his music and mutters disbelievingly that he misses her, realizing that, despite his animosity toward her, Lucy has unwittingly become Schroeder's muse and he cannot play without her (he parodies Henry Higgins by saying, "Don't tell me I've grown accustomed to "THAT" face!"). Sometimes he gets so annoyed with Lucy