The Thief’s Story — Class 10 English
Footprints Without Feet · Chapter 2
Visual story
Watch as story →CBSE Class 10 community
View all
2- First Flight
- Footprints without Feet
- Mathematics
- Science
- + 10 more
4- History
- Economics
- + 2 more
- 70+ formulas and theorems
- Board-paper chapter counts
- 24 traps corrected
- Equations and formulas
- Book tables as charts
- Traps corrected
- 15 पाठ
- व्याकरण
- लेखन प्रारूप
- HTML & CSS examples
- Protocol tables
- Cyber ethics
- 17 पाठ
- व्याकरण
- लेखन प्रारूप
- 9 पाठ
- सन्धि-समास
- प्रत्यय
Chapter summary
The story in steps
- Hari Singh meets Anil, wins his trust, and starts living with him as a cook and helper.
- Anil gives Hari food, shelter, and hope by promising to teach him how to read and write.
- Hari slowly likes Anil but still steals small amounts while buying daily things for the house.
- One evening Anil brings home money, and Hari steals the notes while Anil sleeps.
- At the station Hari cannot leave because Anil’s trust and the chance to learn pull him back.
- Hari returns the money, and next morning Anil quietly forgives him and continues teaching him.
Key ideas & terms
- Hari Singh
- A young thief who is reformed by kindness.
- Anil
- A kind, easy-going writer who trusts and teaches Hari.
- Trust
- Anil’s faith in Hari that changes him.
- Education
- The gift Hari values more than stolen money.
- Conscience
- Hari’s inner struggle that makes him return the money.
- Transformation
- Hari’s change from a thief to an honest learner.
शब्दार्थ · Word meanings
- appealing
- attractive or pleasing
- flattery
- false praise to please someone
- grunting
- making a low rough sound
- modest
- small and simple
- fits and starts
- not regularly; with breaks
- queer
- strange or unusual
- deserted
- empty and without people
- slipped
- moved quietly and quickly
- damp
- slightly wet
- wrestling
- struggling hard with thoughts
Extra questions & answers
How did Hari Singh come to live with Anil?
Hari befriended Anil, planning to rob him; Anil kindly gave him food, shelter and offered to teach him to read and write.
Why did Hari decide to return the stolen money?
At the station he realised that Anil’s kindness and the chance to be educated were worth far more than the stolen money, and his conscience troubled him.
How did Anil react the next morning?
He seemed to know about the theft but said nothing, giving Hari money and continuing to teach him, showing his trust and forgiveness.
What is the theme of “The Thief’s Story”?
It shows how kindness, trust and the promise of education can transform a person and awaken his conscience.
How did Hari Singh introduce himself to Anil?
He presented himself as a clever young man of about fifteen, using a changed name, having decided that Anil was an easy person to befriend and rob.
How did Anil treat Hari?
Though he could not pay him, Anil gave Hari food and shelter and offered to teach him to cook and to read and write, asking only honesty in return.
How did Hari cheat Anil in small ways?
While buying the daily groceries he quietly kept a little of the money for himself, since Anil never checked the accounts.
Why did Hari hesitate at the railway station after stealing the money?
His conscience troubled him; he realised that Anil’s kindness and the chance to become educated were worth far more than the stolen notes.
What did Hari notice about Anil the next morning?
Anil’s warm smile and the still-damp note suggested he knew about the theft, yet he said nothing and even handed Hari money for his lessons.
What is the significance of Anil teaching Hari to write his name?
It stands for the gift of education and self-respect that begins to transform Hari from a thief into an honest, hopeful person.
READ AND FIND OUT
Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
‘I’ refers to Hari Singh, the fifteen-year-old thief who narrates the story.
What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
He is a fairly successful hand at stealing.
What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Anil gives him food and a place to sleep. He also teaches him to cook, write his name, form whole sentences and add numbers.
READ AND FIND OUT
How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
The thief thinks that Anil will feel a little sad, not because he has lost the money, but because Hari has betrayed his trust.
What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
He says that a greedy man shows fear, a rich man shows anger and a poor man shows acceptance when robbed.
Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?
Yes. Anil realises what happened because the returned notes are still wet from the rain. However, he does not openly accuse Hari.
Think about it
1. What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change over time? (Hint: Compare, for example, the thought: “I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve” with these later thoughts: “Whole sentences, I knew, could one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a simple matter to steal — and sometimes just as simple to be caught. But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else.”) What makes him return to Anil?
At first, Hari welcomes education because he thinks it will increase his opportunities and help him achieve more. Later, he understands that learning can give him a respectable and secure future, which is worth far more than a few hundred stolen rupees. He returns because he values Anil’s trust, kindness and promise to educate him, and because he wants the chance to become an honest, clever and respected person.
2. Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?
Anil does not hand Hari over to the police because he understands that the boy has regretted his action and returned the money. He chooses forgiveness and education instead of punishment. Many people might have reported a thief or dismissed him immediately. Anil is different because he is compassionate, trusting and willing to give Hari another chance to reform.
Talk about it
1. Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or are there such people in real life?
People like Anil and Hari Singh can also be found in real life. Some young people may turn to theft because of poverty, neglect or lack of guidance, while kind and patient people may help them change by offering trust, education and a second chance.
2. Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?
Yes, it is significant that Anil is a struggling writer. His irregular income explains why he cannot initially pay Hari and why he lives simply. His creative and sensitive nature may also help explain his understanding of Hari’s feelings and his decision to forgive the boy rather than punish him.
3. Have you met anyone like Hari Singh? Can you think and imagine the circumstances that can turn a fifteen-year-old boy into a thief?
I have not personally met anyone exactly like Hari Singh. A fifteen-year-old might turn to theft because of poverty, homelessness, hunger, lack of education, neglect, harmful company or the absence of responsible adults. Such circumstances do not justify stealing, but they can help explain how a child may be drawn into it.
4. Where is the story set? (You can get clues from the names of the persons and places mentioned in it.) Which language or languages are spoken in these places? Do you think the characters in the story spoke to each other in English?
The story is set in northern India, probably in or near Delhi, as the Jumna Sweet Shop and the train to Lucknow are mentioned. Hindi, Urdu and regional forms of Hindustani are commonly spoken in such places. The characters most likely spoke to each other in Hindi or Hindustani rather than English, although the story is written in English.