is a homeless fourteen-year-old bootblack, known to be an honest young man. He is generous and industrious, but he is a spendthrift. He is a good-looking boy that appears aristocratic with a frank and open face. Dick must handle con artists, bullies, false accusations of theft, and, most of all, overcoming his inability to read and write. Of particular interest are the descriptions of life on the streets of late 19-century New York City.