Gentleman thief
In the Victorian vernacular, a gentleman thief is a particularly well-behaving and apparently well bred thief. A "gentleman" is usually, but not always, a man with an inherited title of nobility and inherited wealth, who need not work for a living. Such a man steals not in order to gain material wealth, but for adventure; he acts without malice. Gentlemen thieves rarely bother with anonymity or force, as they rely on their charm and good looks to steal the most unobtainable objects — sometimes for their own support, but also for the thrill of the act itself.
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[edit] In popular culture
Notable gentlemen thieves in popular culture are Leslie Charteris's Simon Templar, Thomas Crown from The Thomas Crown Affair, John Robie in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief,[1] E. W. Hornung's A. J. Raffles or Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin and his Japanese grandson Lupin the Third, first appearing in the comics by Monkey Punch.[2] All are superb at stealing while maintaining a sophisticated front. Raffles steals mostly when he is especially "hard-up", in need of money. On the other hand, Lupin steals more from the rich who don't appreciate art or their treasures and redistributes it (not unlike a modern Robin Hood).
[edit] In real life
Christophe Rocancourt is a modern-day, real-life example of the gentleman thief.
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