# The Butcher and His Customers explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

Two men conspire to steal meat from a butcher; one snatches a joint and hides it under the other's cloak. When confronted, each denies involvement, but the butcher warns that while they may deceive him, they cannot deceive the gods. The fable illustrates that prevarication is akin to perjury.

## Themes in this chapter

### Cunning and Deception

The two men attempt to deceive the butcher through a coordinated lie, but their cunning is ultimately futile against divine truth.

### Justice and Consequence

The butcher invokes the gods as the ultimate arbiters of justice, implying that the thieves will face consequences beyond human detection.

## Character check-ins

### The Thief

One of the two men who steals the meat and hides it under his companion's cloak.

### The Butcher

The vendor who detects the theft and warns the men that the gods cannot be deceived.

## Key lines

> You may cheat me with your lying, but you can’t cheat the gods, and they won’t let you off so lightly.

You might fool me with your falsehoods, but the gods see everything and will punish you.

_The butcher's warning underscores the theme of divine justice and the futility of deceit._

> Prevarication often amounts to perjury.

Lying is essentially the same as swearing a false oath.

_The moral of the fable equates deceit with a serious violation of truth and trust._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-butcher-and-his-customers
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters