is not a rich person. This suspicion is confirmed soon after, when Al tries to steal the hammer, which he had taken a liking to, because he can’t afford it.

Al gets caught in the act, and when questioned about his shoplifting, he says the reason for his stealing is that “[he hasn’t] got any money.” From this statement, we can see that Al does not steal for entertainment or thrill, but out of necessity. As he says himself, “it was not in his nature to take things that did not belong to him.” Al clearly has morals and is not a dishonest thief. Al has to steal goods, because he doesn't have the money to pay for them. Therefore, money for Al is a necessity, a basic requirement of life. This is why he talks about it.

His mother, who herself does not have much money either, offers him money to pay for the hammer, but he declines: “I won’t take your money for something I don’t really need.” Here, we see that Al is aware that the hammer is not an essential thing he needs; it is merely a luxury. Therefore, he does not want to spend his mother’s hard-earned money on it. He knows about the value of money and how hard his mother has worked for it. This is the reason why he does not want to waste his mother's money on something that is not essential.

When Al speaks about money, we can also see that Al has principles, because he refuses the payment for his work in the shop later on. Mr. Clemmer, the owner of the shop, even offers Al a job there, but Al declines: “because I hate them both...I would never work for people like that."

This shows us that Al thinks and speaks about money, because it is an essential part of life, a necessity. However, there are more important things in life for Al, such as his principles. His life is not solely ruled by a desire for money.