Why did the cloudman throw hail stones at the peach?

In Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach," the cloudman throws hailstones at the peach as a form of punishment for the way the characters inside the peach have been joyfully traveling and disrupting his normally peaceful cloud environment. The cloudman feels slighted by their happiness and wants to assert his power over them by creating chaos. This act serves to highlight the tension between the natural elements and the adventurous spirit of James and his friends. Ultimately, it adds to the story's whimsical yet challenging atmosphere.