Moll Flanders

Moll spends two years watching her fortune dwindle. Eventually, she turns to thievery to support herself. At first, she merely takes what opportunity presents, but then she reconnects with her governess, Mother Midnight. Moll contacts her because she can no longer support the child her governess placed with another family. Mother Midnight herself has fallen on hard times, having been sued by a man whose child she allegedly stole. The governess invites Moll to stay with her. Moll takes up some legitimate work sewing; however, the temptation of thievery, which is more lucrative, eventually lures her back to the streets.

This does not disappoint the governess; in fact, she encourages Moll’s exploits and serves as what Moll terms a pawnbroker to help her turn stolen goods into money. The governess teaches her how to be an even better thief amidst her troupe of pickpockets and thieves. Moll admits that she might earn a living honestly, through her sewing, but the habit of stealing hardens the heart, and the financial opportunities are much greater. Moll becomes both one of the best thieves under the auspices of the governess’s group and one of the luckiest. When one of the group is hanged, Moll is anxious but undeterred.