2. What is “confidence?” Confidence means to trust in someone. Examples: When your teacher says, “I have confidence your presentation is great!” Or your Mom says, “I have confidence you will clean your room.”
3. Self-Confidence Confidence also means that you trust yourself! You believe you can do something. This is called having “self-confidence.” A person with self-confidence believes they can do great things.
4. What are “tricksters?” A person who is a “trickster” gets something they want by lying to another person. Tricks are used to get something usually by lying.
5. Confidence Tricksters Confidence tricksters lie to people who trust them to get something. Usually, they get money. Confidence tricksters are more commonly known as “con men.”
6. Famous Con Men Frank Abagnale is the most famous con man in the U.S. He forged $2.5 million in bad checks. He was also an impostor, pretending to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, and pilot. He escaped from prison 3 times.
7. Eduardo de Valfierno Eduardo paid many men to steal the Mona Lisa painting from the Louvre in 1911. Eduardo sold 6 fake copies of the Mona Lisa to people around the world, making lots of money. In 1913, the original Mona Lisa painting was found and returned to the Louvre.
8. Huck Finn Huck is friends with a lot of con men and tricksters. What makes Huck different than the King and the Duke? Do you think he learns anything good from being with the tricksters? What about his friend Tom Sawyer?