Fictional Thieves from the 19th Century

Literature of the 19th century contains many a thief, but to paraphrase L. Frank Baum: Is it a good thief or a bad thief? In the event that you are shaking your head and wondering how in the world there could even be such a thing as a good thief, you must remind yourself of Robin Hood at once. He was around long before the 19th century and was reportedly a very good thief.

In the famous Charles Dickens' classic, Oliver Twist, the underprivileged urchin, Oliver, ran off to London after a series of unfortunate events befell him, and landed straight in the company of the crafty Artful Dodger. The Dodger was only too happy to offer his dubious assistance, bringing the innocent and naïve lad back to his mentor, Fagin, who ran a gang of youthful pickpockets. Oliver was eventually rescued from a life of crime and corruption. Unlike Oliver, the Dodger was a shrewd and cunning lad and he was such an accomplished thief, he was considered the leader of the boys in Fagin's gang. Without a savior, Oliver may have ended up in Australia a lot sooner than the Dodger did. It seems highly likely that in any joint venture into thievery, Oliver's very innocence would have caused him to be the first to be sacrificed to the long arm of the law. We may not be able to think of any modern-day gang of young pick-pockets, but youngsters are still at risk of being recruited to participate in crime, by both members of gangs in their age group and adult criminals.