# Greed and Materialism in The Borough Treasurer

> Theme guide for The Borough Treasurer by J. S. Fletcher.

Characters are motivated by money and wealth: the partners' original crime was for financial gain, Kitely and Stoner seek to profit through blackmail, and the reward offered for information underscores the power of money to drive action.

## Where it surfaces

- [I: Blackmail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/i-blackmail): Kitely's demand for an annuity and the partners' fear of losing their prosperous position underscore the material stakes involved.
- [IV: The Pine Wood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/iv-the-pine-wood): The evidence of robbery—the victim's pockets turned out and clothing torn—suggests material gain as a motive for the murder.
- [XIV: The Sheet of Figures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/xiv-the-sheet-of-figures): Stoner's desire for the £500 reward and his dissatisfaction with his salary reflect materialistic motives.
- [XV: One Thing Leads to Another](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/xv-one-thing-leads-to-another): Stoner is tempted by the reward money and the possibility of a larger bribe from Mallalieu and Cotherstone.
- [XVI: The Lonely Moor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/xvi-the-lonely-moor): Stoner chooses potential blackmail money over the legal reward, driven by desire for wealth.
- [The Interrupted Flight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/xxi-the-interrupted-flight): Mallalieu's careful preparation of his securities and gold underscores his materialistic concern for wealth even in flight.
- [Strict Business Lines](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/xxiv-strict-business-lines): Miss Pett and Christopher view harboring Mallalieu as a business opportunity, focusing on financial gain.
- [The Virtues of Suspicion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/xxvi-the-virtues-of-suspicion): The Petts' primary motivation is financial gain, as they haggle over payment and plan to drug Mallalieu to ensure their own profit.
- [XXVIII: Pages from the Past](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/chapters/xxviii-pages-from-the-past): Miss Pett's inheritance from both Major Stilman and Mr. Kitely suggests financial motives for murder.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/themes/greed_and_materialism
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_borough_treasurer_se/themes