"Horace Danby was good and respectable — but not completely honest". Why do you think this description is apt for Horace? Why can't he be categorised as a typical thief?
The description "good and respectable — but not completely honest" is highly apt for Horace Danby because he lived a dual life. On the surface, he was a good and respectable citizen. He was about fifty years old, unmarried, and lived with a housekeeper who worried over his health.
He ran a successful lock-making business with two helpers, making everyone believe he was an honest man. However, he was not completely honest because he had a secret life. Fifteen years ago, he had served a sentence in a prison library.
Driven by his passion for rare, expensive books, he robbed a safe every year to fund his collection secretly through an agent. Horace cannot be categorised as a typical thief because his motives and methods were unusual. He stole only once a year, planning carefully and taking just enough to last for twelve months.
Unlike typical thieves, he did not threaten society; he stole only from the rich to satisfy his love for books. Furthermore, when confronted by the lady, he hesitated to hurt her, admitting he was only trying to frighten her. He even promised to never rob again if let go, showing he was not a hardened criminal but a man driven by a specific, albeit illegal, passion.
Explanation
The question requires an analysis of Horace Danby's character based on the text 'A Question of Trust'. The answer must address two parts: justifying the given description and explaining why he is an atypical thief. The textbook explicitly mentions his respectable facade (business owner, housekeeper) and his dishonest reality (annual robberies to buy rare books). His atypical nature is shown through his specific, non-malicious motive (love for books), his controlled frequency of stealing (once a year), and his reluctance to harm or threaten society, as seen in his interaction with the lady at Shotover Grange.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify details from the text proving Horace is 'good and respectable' (successful lock-maker, has helpers, housekeeper worries for him).
Step 2: Identify details proving he is 'not completely honest' (robbed a safe every year, served time in prison library).
Step 3: List reasons why he is not a typical thief (steals only once a year, steals for a specific passion for rare books, steals only from the rich, hesitates to hurt the lady, promises to stop robbing).
Step 4: Combine these points into a coherent 4-5 paragraph answer using bold key terms.