Short Fiction · Chapter
Innocents of Broadway explained
Jeff Peters recounts a story about a naive New York cigar store owner who insists on entrusting him with $5,000, leading to a moral dilemma for Jeff and his partner Andy Tucker as they grapple with their professional ethics and the peculiar
What happens
Jeff Peters recounts a story about a naive New York cigar store owner who insists on entrusting him with $5,000, leading to a moral dilemma for Jeff and his partner Andy Tucker as they grapple with their professional ethics and the peculiar nature of New York City's gullible inhabitants.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Jeff and Andy are con men who pride themselves on fair dealings, yet they are tempted by the naive trust of the cigar man, highlighting the blurred lines between honesty and deception.
Humor and Irony
The irony of a New Yorker, who boasts of city savvy, being so gullible as to trust strangers with his life savings, is presented with humorous exaggeration.
Characters to notice
- Jeff Peters
Narrator and protagonist who struggles with the ethics of taking the cigar man's money without providing a fair exchange.
- Andy Donovan
Jeff's partner who suggests using poker as a way to legitimately earn the money.
Key passages
“I hope some day to retire from business; and when I do I don't want anybody to be able to say that I ever got a dollar of any man's money without giving him a quid pro rata for it.”
Jeff Peters prides himself on always providing fair value in his dealings, even as a con man.
Establishes Jeff's personal code of ethics.
“Catching suckers in that town is like dynamiting a Texas lake for bass.”
Jeff compares the ease of conning people in New York to an unfair and unsporting method of fishing.
Highlights the perceived lack of challenge in New York's con scene.
“We can't take it, Andy; you know we can't, for we haven't a shadow of a title to it—not a shadow.”
Jeff insists they cannot keep the money because they have done nothing to earn it.
Reflects Jeff's moral struggle and adherence to his principles.