A clever young thief plans to rob the kind man who trusted him — but a single act of kindness changes his heart. This is a story about how trust and education can reform even a criminal.
Author
Ruskin Bond, a much-loved Indian writer of warm, simple stories.
Narrator
Hari Singh — a 15-year-old thief who tells his own story (first person).
Other character
Anil — a careless but kind, struggling young writer in his mid-twenties.
Theme
Trust, kindness and education can transform a dishonest person.
Meeting Anil
The story is narrated by Hari Singh, an experienced but young thief of about fifteen years. One day he meets Anil, a tall and lean man of about twenty-five, who is watching a wrestling match. Hari decides to befriend him because Anil looks easy-going and trusting. Hari flatters him and offers to work for him. Anil clearly states that he cannot pay a salary, but Hari quickly offers to cook for Anil instead — even though he did not actually know how to cook. When Hari cooks his first meal, it is so bad that Anil gives it to a stray dog and tells Hari plainly, "You can't cook." Despite this, Anil decides to keep Hari and promises to teach him how to cook, read and write. So Hari moves in with Anil and starts a new life.
Life with Anil
Hari starts living with Anil in a small room above the Jumna Sweet Shop. Anil makes money in an irregular way — he borrows one week and lends the next, and he writes for magazines. Hari does the shopping for the household and, in the process, makes a little secret profit by overstating the prices. Anil seems to know about this small cheating but he never objects; instead he simply smiles and lets it go. Most importantly, Anil keeps his promise and begins teaching Hari how to write his name and read whole sentences. Hari is grateful for these things, but the thief in him is still alive: he keeps planning to rob Anil one day.
The temptation and the robbery
One day Anil receives a sizeable amount of money for selling a book — a bundle of notes — and he carelessly puts it under the mattress. This is the chance Hari has been waiting for. That night, while Anil is fast asleep, Hari quietly slides his hand under the mattress and takes out the money. He notices that Anil is a deep, trusting sleeper. As he holds the notes, Hari feels a strange struggle inside him. Stealing has always been easy and exciting, but this time it does not feel good. He silently leaves the room and runs out into the night, heading for the railway station to catch the midnight train out of the city.
The change of heart at the station
Hari reaches the Jumna Station, but when the Lucknow Express comes in, he does not get on it. He sits alone on a bench on the cold, deserted platform. For the first time, money does not make him happy. He starts to think about what he is really losing. He realises that Anil was teaching him to read and write, and that this education could help him become a respectable, well-off person one day — far richer than the few stolen notes in his pocket. He understands that as an educated man he could earn money honestly and earn respect, something stealing could never give him. The rain begins to fall, and slowly Hari makes up his mind. He decides to go back.
Returning the money
Soaked by the rain, Hari returns to Anil's room while Anil is still asleep. With great care he puts the wet bundle of notes back under the mattress, exactly where he found it. He spends an anxious, sleepless night, hoping Anil will not discover what he had done. The next morning, Anil wakes up and — without any idea of the night's events — hands Hari a fifty-rupee note, saying he had made some money and would now pay Hari regularly. Hari notices that the note is still slightly damp from the rain, which tells him that Anil knew about the attempted theft all along. Yet Anil chooses to say nothing about it. Instead, he simply tells Hari that they would now begin learning whole sentences. Hari smiles — a real, deep smile — because he knows he has been given a second chance.
Theme analysis
The central theme of the story is the transforming power of trust, kindness and education. Anil never lectures, scolds or punishes Hari. He simply trusts him, treats him with warmth, and quietly continues to teach him. It is this gentle goodness — not anger or threats — that touches Hari's conscience and reforms him. A second theme is that true wealth lies in knowledge and self-respect, not in money. Hari finally values the chance to become educated more than a fistful of stolen notes. The story also explores the conflict between the head and the heart: Hari's skilled, thieving mind clashes with his growing conscience, and his heart finally wins.
Character of Hari Singh
Hari is intelligent, observant and charming, and very skilled at his trade — he changes his name every month to avoid the police. Yet he is not heartless. He is capable of gratitude and of feeling guilt. His journey from a calculating thief to a reformed young man shows that no person is beyond redemption.
Character of Anil
Anil is kind, generous, easy-going and forgiving. Though poor and careless about money, he is rich in heart. His greatest quality is his ability to trust and to forgive without making the other person feel small. He understands that real reform comes from love, not punishment.
- Hari befriends Anil at a wrestling match and offers to cook.
- Anil hates the food but keeps Hari and offers to teach him to read and write.
- Hari cheats a little on the daily shopping; Anil knows but stays silent.
- Anil leaves a bundle of money under the mattress.
- Hari steals it at night and goes to the station — but cannot board the train.
- His conscience wakes; he returns and slips the wet notes back.
- The damp fifty-rupee note proves Anil knew — yet forgave him.
"Anil's kindness and trust reformed Hari Singh more than any punishment could have." Discuss this statement with reference to the story.
- State the point: Anil reforms Hari through trust, not force.
- Show his patience: bad cooking, small cheating — Anil overlooks both.
- Show the teaching: Anil teaches Hari to read and write, giving him hope.
- Show the climax: the damp note proves Anil forgave the theft silently.
- Conclude: love and a second chance changed Hari forever.
Remember the arc with "FRIEND": Flatters Anil → Resides with him → Instructed to read/write → Escapes with money → Never boards the train → Damp note & forgiveness.
Do not write that Anil never knew about the theft. The damp fifty-rupee note Anil gives Hari the next morning proves he knew — and forgave him anyway. Mentioning this clue shows the examiner you understood the story's climax.
Q1. How did Hari Singh become friends with Anil?
Answer: Hari Singh, a young thief looking for an easy target, met Anil at a wrestling match. Sensing that Anil was simple and trusting, Hari flattered him and offered to work for him. When Anil said he had no money to pay a salary, Hari cleverly offered to cook for him instead, even though he could not cook. Although the first meal was so bad that Anil fed it to a stray dog, Anil still kept Hari and promised to teach him to cook, read and write. In this way the two became friends.
Q2. Why did Hari Singh return the stolen money?
Answer: After stealing the money, Hari went to the railway station but could not board the train. Sitting alone in the rain, he realised that the education Anil was giving him was far more valuable than the stolen notes. As an educated man he could earn money honestly and win respect, which stealing could never give him. He also did not want to lose Anil's trust and the warm home he had found. His conscience awoke, and so he returned to Anil's room and quietly put the money back under the mattress.
Q3. How do we know that Anil was aware of the theft?
Answer: The next morning Anil handed Hari a fifty-rupee note and said he would now pay him regularly. Hari noticed that the note was still slightly damp from the rain — the same rain that had soaked Hari while he was returning the money the previous night. This damp note clearly tells the reader (and Hari) that Anil knew the money had been taken and put back. Yet Anil said nothing about it, choosing instead to forgive Hari quietly and continue teaching him.
Q4. What qualities of Anil helped reform Hari Singh?
Answer: Anil's most important qualities were his kindness, trust, patience and the ability to forgive. He kept Hari despite his bad cooking, ignored his small cheating during shopping, and patiently taught him to read and write. Above all, he forgave the theft without a word of anger. This gentle goodness, rather than scolding or punishment, touched Hari's heart and gave him hope and self-respect. It was these qualities that finally reformed the young thief.
- ✅ Hari Singh, a 15-year-old thief, befriends and lives with the kind writer Anil.
- ✅ Anil teaches him to read and write and trusts him completely.
- ✅ Hari steals Anil's money but cannot board the train — his conscience stops him.
- ✅ He returns the money; the damp note proves Anil knew but forgave him.
- ✅ Theme: trust, kindness and education can reform even a thief.
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