Study Questions

1. Why does Moll take up stealing?

2. What did Moll do when she moved into the governess’ house?

3. Who was Moll’s most significant partner in crime?

4. What was Moll’s specialty as a thief?

5. Who does Moll blame most often for her misdeeds?

6. Who was the famous thief who taught Moll how to be a pickpocket?

7. Where did Moll meet the baronet?

8. What significant act did Moll perform while she was waiting to receive the baronet?

9. What was Moll’s most irrational criminal act?

10. Where was Moll taken after she was captured?

Answers

1. Moll says that fear of starvation forced her to steal, but she admits that she engaged in criminal acts long before genuine poverty had arrived at her door. Indeed, Moll acknowledges greed as the most consistent inspiration for her crimes.

2. When Moll first moved in with the governess, she took in needlework, a sign that somewhere deep in her soul, she wished that she could make an honest living.

3. After Moll made it clear that she was willing to make a living by stealing, the governess became her most important partner in crime.

4. Even during the earliest stages of her career, Moll’s specialized in stealing watches from ladies’ sides.

5. Moll sometimes blames her victims for presenting themselves as easy targets, but more often says that the devil compelled her to break the law.

6. The beautiful and notorious ‘Moll Cutpurse’ taught Moll how to be an expert pickpocket, sharpening skills Moll had already developed to some degree on her own.

7. Moll met the baronet in a gambling house.

8. Moll painted her face like a prostitute before the baronet arrived.

9. Moll stole a horse even though neither she nor the governess had anything to gain from the act.

10. Moll was taken back to Newgate Prison, the place of her birth.