When Hallfred successfully completes the task and composes a wonderful poem such as Olaf requests, "the king thanked him and said that he showed great skill in his poetry- Hallfred's poem-creating talent is clearly a very powerful tool. The art of "oral literature" in the days of the Icelandic sagas seemed such an important aspect of the culture, that anyone who possessed the ability to create such literature and recite it well was highly valued. Throughout the saga, nothing seems to please King Olaf more than a flokk or a drapa. This alone is enough to show the incredible significance of poetry at this time. Because of the emphasis put on the significance of poetry at this time, it is not unusual at all to assume that Olaf felt just as strongly about poetry as others of his day. Furthermore, perhaps it is the case that, even if only to a small extent, King Olaf also just liked to hear praises about him. There is no reason to believe that Olaf would not enjoy at least a little laud, especially in the form of good poetry. That is not to say that King Olaf had a large ego, or any such thing, it is simply natural for one to take pleasure in hearing good things about oneself. The poetry of Hallfred was very good at pleasing the king.
In today's society, the quality of being stubborn is often seen as a negative characteristic. However, in the Icelandic sagas, this trait is not necessarily portrayed as a negative one, and in fact is shown as being quite the opposite. Hallfred's steadfast stubbornness is one of the reasons why King Olaf likes him. From the very beginning of his relationship with King Olaf, Hallfred is not an easy customer. When Olaf attempts to convert Hallfred to Christianity, Hallfred claims that "not without making a bargain, my lord, will I accept the religion you are preaching." This immediately presents King Olaf with a great challenge. As converter of Norway, Olaf struggles against the deep-rooted paganism of old.