The two pickpockets:

An England Folktale

There was once a young man who was the best pickpocket around. So he decided to try
his luck in the big city.(London, Dublin etc.) On his first day there the picking were
lush, he cut a purse here, picked a pocket there--But when he went to pay for his lunch
he discovered his own pocket had been picked! He whirled around and saw a dark
haired girl looking at him and he gave chase. He finally cornered her in an alley.

Trembling she offered him his purse back. "I don't want the purse back. I only want to
marvel at your skill. I am the best there is and I never felt a thing!" He bought her
lunch, they began seeing each other, and eventually married. And soon were expecting a
child. The young man was very excited. "What with traits from my side and traits from
your side this child will be the best pickpocket the world has ever known! We will start
a whole dynasty of pickpockets!" But when the baby was born, and the midwife laid
him on his mother's breast his little right hand was closed and his whole arm drawn up
tight to his chest. "Look at his poor hand! He'll never be a pickpocket now."

They took him to one doctor and another, none could find anything wrong. Finally they
took him to the best pediatrician in all London. He examined the baby's arm and could
find no problem. He took out his gold pocket watch to time the pulse. "I can find
nothing wrong. And what a shame.

What a bright little fellow. Look how his eyes follow my watch." He dangled the watch
in front of the baby. Suddenly the little arm that had been twisted in stretched out and
the baby opened his hand to grab the watch. And down fell the midwife's gold wedding
band.

I don't understand the ending of this story, can someone please explain to me what it is
trying to tell the readers, thanks.

Is pickpocket one word or two?

A pickpocket is a person who steals things from people's pockets or bags in public
places.

How old is the male character in the story the two pickpockets?
Twelve-year-old Smith lives in 18th-century London with his two older sisters, who
earn a living by altering and selling the clothes of the recently hanged.

What does pickpocket mean?

: a thief who surreptitiously steals money or valuables from the pockets or
person of an individual. More from Merriam-Webster on pickpocket.

What is the name of the male pickpocket in the story the two pickpockets?
In Paris, the lonely and anguished pickpocket Michel lives in a dirty little room and
spends his time stealing wallets and purses in public spaces. His only friends are
Jacques, who tries to help him to find a job, and his mother's next door neighbor
Jeanne.

Why did pickpockets steal handkerchiefs?

Pickpockets often stole mere handkerchiefs, because they were easy to steal and
easy to re-sell. They were of course larger than modern 'handkerchiefs', often being
what we today would call neckerchiefs or scarves.

What was the punishment for pickpockets in Shakespeare?

Crime and Punishment in Sixteenth Century England

In Shakespeare's times, treason was punished by hanging and dismemberment.

Punishments for less serious crimes were often very severe. For example,
pickpockets got one finger cut off every time they were caught.

Who is the most famous pickpocket?

Bob Arno is one of them. He is often described as “the world's most famous
pickpocket” and praise pours in for his “unrivalled skills”. Bob Arno has snatched his
way into the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and New York Times. National Geographic
handpicked him for the acclaimed documentary Pickpocket King.
 How do I stop being pickpocketed?

Outsmarting Pickpockets and Thieves

1. Be prepared. ...
2. Wear a money belt. ...
3. Leave valuables in your hotel room. ...
4. Secure your bag, gadgets, and other valuables when you're out and about. ...
5. Stay vigilant in crowds and steer clear of commotions. ...
6. Establish a "don't lose it" discipline. ...
7. Leave a clue for honest finders.

Apollo Robbins
Apollo Robbins has been called the world's best pickpocket and “the Gentleman Thief” because
he always returns what he has lifted from his skeptical audience. It's a reputation that he secured
when he lifted from former president Jimmy Carter's Secret Service agents outside Caesar's
Palace in 2001.

What are people who pickpocket called?

It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A thief who works
in this manner is known as a pickpocket.

What was the worst punishment in Elizabethan could receive?

 Those convicted of these crimes received the harshest punishment: death.
Execution methods for the most serious crimes were designed to be as gruesome as
possible. Heretics were burned to death at the stake. Traitors were hanged for a
short period and cut down while they were still alive.

What was the 4th most common crime in Elizabethan England?

The most common crimes were theft, cut purses, begging, poaching, adultery,
debtors, forgers, fraud and dice coggers. Theft for stealing anything over 5 pence
resulted in hanging. Taking birds eggs was also deemed to be a crime and could
result in the death sentence.

Did William Shakespeare commit a crime?

Legal records show that several members of his wife's family sued him for swindling
them; at different times he was found guilty of slander and “insulting and violent
behaviour,” and he served a brief prison sentence for the latter.

What was the punishment for adultery in the Elizabethan era?

If the women committed adultery they were dunked under water multiple times
until pronounced dead. Women were viewed as servants to men and if they
disobeyed they would be whipped.

How were people tortured in the Elizabethan era?

During the Elizabethan times crimes were treated as we would treat a murder
today. Stretching, burning, beating the body, and suffocating a person with
water were the most common ways to torture a person in the Elizabethan times. The
purpose of torture was to break the will of the victim and to dehumanize him or her.

Which country has the most pickpockets?

Here are the top 10 most pickpocketed cities:
 Prague, Czech Republic.
 Madrid, Spain.
 Paris, France.
 Florence, Italy.
 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
 Amsterdam, Netherlands.
 Athens, Greece.
 Hanoi, Vietnam.
https://www.jiskha.com/questions/400052/the-two-pickpockets-there-was-
once-a-young-man-who-was-the-best-pickpocket-around-so-he

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqxyHJTWi70
 SUMMARIES

 In Paris, the lonely and anguished pickpocket Michel lives in a

dirty little room and spends his time stealing wallets and purses in
public spaces. His only friends are Jacques, who tries to help him
to find a job, and his mother's next door neighbor Jeanne. After
the death of his mother, Michel teams-up with two small time
thieves despite the permanent surveillance of the local police
inspector. Later he travels overseas to get rid of the observation
of the police, but two years later he returns to Paris and finds
Jeanne alone, with her son with Jacques after a brief love affair.
Michel decides to help her and find an honest job; but in a horse
race, he is tempted by his addiction with tragic consequences.
—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 Michel passes the time by picking pockets, careful to never be

caught despite being watched by the police. His friend Jacques
may suspect, while both men may have their eyes on Jeanne, the
pretty neighbor of Michel's ailing mother.
 Michel takes up picking pockets as a hobby, and is arrested almost
immediately, giving him the chance to reflect on the morality of
crime. After his release, though, his mother dies, and he rejects
the support of friends Jeanne and Jacques in favour of returning
to pickpocketing (after taking lessons from an expert), because he
realises that it's the only way he can express himself...
—Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>

 Michel is a Paris based pickpocket. He does it through compulsion

as he gets a feeling of exhilaration while committing his crimes,
rather than for the money in and of itself as he does not spend it
on outward material possessions. For example, he lives in a one
room hovel with only a hook locking the door from inside. He
justifies his actions using what he is probably aware is a skewed
set of morals. With no other visible means of income, he believes
some people in his life suspects what he does, such as his friend
Jacques, while others have no idea, such as his sickly mother, who
he loves but does not visit often, perhaps to avoid the obvious
questions from her. He also believes the police know about him,
but have yet been unable to prove any specific crimes, although
he is unaware if they are actively pursuing him, despite frequent
 encounters with a certain inspector. As he goes about his
business, he can spot other pickpockets and although is largely
self taught, he does enter into a partnership with two others, one
who shows him the tricks of the trade. The questions become
whether this life is indeed self-fulfilling for him, whether the
police will eventually catch up with him, and whether he can find
anything else in life that he finds just as exhilarating to replace
picking pockets.
—Huggo

 Whiling away the time mastering the art of picking pockets, lonely
Michel, an arrogant, self-destructive layabout preying on the
unsuspecting people in the streets and stations of bustling Paris,
gets his kicks from stealing. Nevertheless, as Michel grows bolder
and more competent, having learned the tricks of the trade from
the best, he knows that, sooner or later, his luck will run out.
Sadly, as the invisible stranglehold of the law tightens around
Michel, not even his few friends or his bedridden mother can make
him see the error of his ways. As a result, in his twisted effort to
survive in society, conflicted Michel is doomed to repeat the same
mistakes over and over again, consumed by the irresistibly
intense compulsion to steal. And now, there's no place to go but
down. But everyone deserves a second chance. However, can
there be forgiveness without repentance?

—Nick Riganas

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053168/plotsummary