Goblins in Harry Potter are short, ugly creatures. Unlike many other depictions of goblins, they do not seem to be stupid, but rather sly. Goblins tend to like money, and in fact run Gringotts, the Wizard bank. They are also known to be very good at making magical objects, similar to dwarves in other traditions, and can recognise true goblin made items. The morality of goblins has not been explored in detail; while they do not seem evil in nature, they are often sly, cruel and troublesome, and have staged numerous rebellions throughout Wizarding history, often as a result of persecution, like other non-human creatures they are banned from carrying a wand. They believe the true owner of an item is the maker, not the buyer, and are dangerous to cross.
Read more about this topic: Goblins In Modern Fiction