Faker

“There’s what the marks believe and then there’s what’s really happening. You have to keep those things separate in your mind. The marks think they’re buying a piece of a show dog, but what they’re really buying is a piece of nothing. And the beauty of nothing is you can sell as much of it as you want. Five hundred percent of nothing is still nothing.”

In this passage, Trey’s dad explains the reasoning behind his grifting efforts, responding to his son’s confusion over how the family can sell the same dog to multiple marks. This response highlights the intelligence that Trey’s father possesses, but it is also clear that he is morally bankrupt and sees nothing wrong with fleecing innocent people. On the surface, this explanation reveals the mechanics of the con, but on a deeper level, the man’s unrepentant explanation foreshadows the fact that although he has yet to feel the consequences of his deceptions, his comeuppance will eventually force him to change his ways.

“Dad never tried to tell us that the life we were leading was the same as everybody else’s. As we got older, he was honest about my role in the family business. He needed me to gain access to my friends’ wealthy parents, who would become our marks. But even though he was using me, I never felt used. I was important. I was part of this.”

This passage shows that Trey believes in his dad despite his own awareness that the man is “using” him to perpetuate his schemes. Ironically, when Trey’s dad makes him feel as though he is “part of” something “important,” he is essentially manipulating his son by using the same grifting skills that he wields against his chosen marks. Thus, it is clear that The Tension Between Deception and Honesty lies at the very core of the family’s dynamics and is not limited to their questionable means of earning a living. Hampered by the misguided belief that his father is doing nothing wrong, Trey becomes complicit in an undertaking that hurts many people over the years.

“I can’t read Dad’s mind, but I suspect he’s holding Arianna back because she likes it too much. What we do is serious business. It’s not fun. Now that I’m a full partner, I have a clearer vision of why Arianna doesn’t fit in. She’s so gung ho to be a part of things that she doesn’t respect how risky this is. Dad could go to jail. We could wind up in juvie or with Child Protective Services. It’s no game, but does Arianna see that? I don’t think so. She sees us having adventures, with her on the outside looking in.”

Here, Trey observes a discussion between his dad and Arianna, in which his dad refuses to share information with her. Growing critical of Arianna’s angry reaction, Trey reflects on the very real dangers of the family business. Although he does not yet view these risks as a reason to renounce grifting, his silent contemplations suggest that he is beginning to exercise his agency and slowly alter his opinions of his current lifestyle. This excerpt also foreshadows the growing conflict between Trey and Arianna.

“Dad always compares what we do to a mosquito in nature—we take a little nip of something people have more than enough of. Nobody takes a mosquito too personally. They’re just doing what they have to do to survive.

It’s like that scene in The Lion King when Simba asks his father, ‘But, Dad, don’t we eat the antelope?’ and the king goes into this long speech about the circle of life. Nobody ever asks the antelope how they feel about this setup.”

In this passage, Trey parrots his father’s rationalizations for grifting, framing his father’s crimes as an immutable fact of life. However, he fails to realize that he has essentially compared himself and his loved ones to parasites and predators. Neither vision is particularly complimentary, and the two metaphors also display a marked difference of degree that renders them essentially contradictory. In the first example, the mosquito metaphor equates the family’s cons to a negligent annoyance—something small that the host (or the mark) will easily endure. In the example from The Lion King, however, the antelope lose their lives as a result of a lion’s attack. This image suggests that Trey’s dad inflicts deep and lasting harm on those he targets.

“I figured Logan would be an expert stone-skipper since he lives here, but he’s actually pretty clumsy. I give him a few pointers and he improves a little. It’s important for him to feel like an equal, or maybe even a bit better than me. One of the first lessons Dad taught me when I was old enough to be his wingman was how to lose at checkers without making it too obvious that you’re letting the other guy win.”

This interaction between Trey and Logan foreshadows the truth about Logan and also shows that con artists never expects to be conned themselves. Logan’s poor skill at stone-skipping should alert Trey to the fact that he has not lived on the lake for very long. However, Trey is so caught up in running the con and impressing his dad that he doesn’t think of this. Instead, he falls back on the lessons his dad taught him about how to manipulate people, not realizing that Logan may be trying to manipulate him in turn.

“Who has the latest iPhone in the special colors you have to pay extra for? Whose glasses are from Walmart and who has real designer frames? Whose sneakers aren’t sold in stores and have to be bid on over the internet? I’ve learned to pick out a hundred-dollar sweatshirt or an expensive watch.”

This excerpt highlights the wide range of observational skills that Trey’s dad has taught him over the years. Trey’s thoughts display a deep level of understanding on how to “read” people and make sophisticated deductions at a glance, and he has also learned how to gather key information from seemingly innocuous details. Although Trey easily deduces that Kaylee is an honest person, his failure to recognize Logan as a fellow grifter shows that his observational tactics are not foolproof.

“Dad is always weighing ethical concerns when he plans our operations. That’s why we only target people who are wealthy enough that they won’t miss the money they lose. Or why we always do our best not to trash the houses and cars that we rent because they’re not ours. It’s not always totally possible, but at least we try. As for our business, that’s how we make our living. Is it really so different from people on a lifeboat sharing their food and water? We’re just trying to survive, the same as everybody else.”

Trey has these thoughts while his ethics class grapples with the hypothetical situation of three shipwreck survivors who are stranded on an island. As Trey starts to question his family’s status quo, his initial thoughts take on a defensive tone, as if he is standing before an unseen judge and justifying his family’s behavior. Although he likens his family’s grifting to an instinctive reaction to a survival situation, his use of a question instead of a statement shows that he doesn’t quite believe his dad’s justifications anymore.

“We scour the back seat until the leather gleams again. I don’t love getting yelled at, but it’s all part of being a full partner. My role has never been more crucial—if it wasn’t for my comment about electric cars, Dad never would have gotten the idea for El Capitan in the first place.”

When Trey’s dad first introduces El Capitan to the Boxelder community, he does so by boasting that the pond scum from Albion Pond will come right off the leather seats. Trey believes this claim, essentially falling victim to his father’s persuasive tactics. However, when they get home, Trey’s dad reveals that he lied and takes his frustrations out on Trey for failing to recognize this use of deception. Trey’s thoughts in this passage reflect the process he uses to move on from the situation and rekindle his faith in his dad. By telling himself that full partners sometimes get yelled at, Trey rationalizes his dad’s actions, reasoning that his dad’s anger is a small price to pay for Trey’s closer involvement in this con.

“Over the next week, I become the busiest kid in town. I go to movies. I go bowling. I play mini-golf. I hang out at fast food restaurants, fro-yo shops, and convenience stores. I drink bubble tea, even though I don’t like it much. I practically live at Donny’s Dawgs. All so I can be picked up by my father in his dazzle-mobile.”

These lines highlight one of the critical roles that Trey plays in the El Capitan con: remaining visible in the community so that his dad can show the car off around Boxelder. Trey gives up his own social life and goes against his preferences in order to provide his dad with excuses to drive the car and build up his neighbors’ interest. Trey’s ready willingness to play this part shows that he has accepted his role in the con. However, calling the El Capitan the “dazzle-mobile” also betrays his growing cynicism in response to his dad’s manipulative antics.

“One of the things I really like about Boxelder is that there are all kinds of people here, not just the rich types who live in The Pointe. When you’ve been going to private schools for so many years, you get used to everybody’s parents being hotshot doctors or attorneys or owning their own companies. It almost makes you forget that the real world is full of teachers, postal workers, and short-order cooks.”

Trey’s thoughts emphasize the idea that life in Boxelder is a new experience that gives him a more realistic view of life. When he was attending private schools, he dismissed both his peers and their parents as “marks” because their wealth made them all seem similar. However, now that he is surrounded by people from all walks of life, he starts to understand the subtler differences in people’s lifestyles and financial means. This realization forces Trey to see that his dad’s cons are truly unethical.

“But the boarding schools always felt artificial. You live in this little dorm room until the next break when you can return to your real life. Boxelder is real life. And sure, it’s not perfect. Pointers can be snobby, with their big houses and water views and fancy cars. No town is totally perfect, I guess.

But out of all the places I’ve lived, Boxelder is the one that feels the most like home.”

Taken in conjunction with the previous quotation, these lines show that Trey starting to separate himself from his dad’s cynical worldview. Although Trey is not yet fully aware of it, his life has been just as artificial as the boarding schools he describes. Instead of being part of a community, he has inhabited a series of brief roles that have enabled his dad to steal money from others. Now, instead of skipping from one temporary situation to another, he is surrounded by people who are simply living their lives.

“It isn’t right for Aladdin to steal even though he needs to feed his family and, let’s face it, a loaf of bread is pretty cheap. If stealing is okay for some people, what’s to stop everybody from doing it? And if it’s just fine to break some laws, why not all of them? The world would be chaos.”

These lines come from the argument that Trey develops for a debate in ethics class, when he is tasked with arguing that stealing is wrong. Because the assignment compels him to argue against his father’s worldview, Trey finds his own convictions shifting and changing as a result. Upon arguing that unbridled theft creates an unsustainable system, Trey finally begins to consider the consequences of his own father’s actions.

“What if I’m wrong? All this panic is because of a single email, five little words. No details, no specifics, not even a threat, not really. Weird emails come in every day. Spam, ads, useless marketing messages.”

Trey tries to shrug off the first anonymous email he receives because he does not want to alert his father to the possibility that someone is onto their game and may force them to flee from an area that he has grown to love. In this moment, Trey keenly feels The Tension Between Deception and Honesty as he debates on which way to handle the threatening email. He feels that sharing this information is the right way to protect his family, but he also realizes his father will abort the plan and move on, and Trey does not want to leave Boxelder. This moment highlights how Trey has changed since the beginning of the book. Before, he never would have considered keeping a con-related secret from his dad. However, he is starting to realize that he is his own person and does not have to internalize his father’s every preference.

“‘No wonder people hate the media,’ he complains. ‘Check out that picture of me. All you can see is that giant bug bite on my arm!’

‘It wouldn’t have gotten giant if you’d left it alone,’ I remind him. ‘You wouldn’t stop scratching, remember?’

‘That’s exactly what I mean,’ Logan insists. ‘They only focus on the negative.’”

This exchange between Trey and Logan occurs when they read the article about Albion Pond in the local newspaper. While the tone of their conversation is humorous, Logan’s criticism of the media’s subjectivity draws attention to the novel’s broader examination of deception and false appearances. Logan’s mosquito bite is huge because he kept scratching it, not because Albion Pond is rampant with mosquitos. However, focusing on the enormity of the bite allows the newspaper to sensationalize the negative consequences of Albion Pond’s decline.

“‘You mean that’s it? Don’t you care who these people are who just bought a big chunk of land in the middle of town?’

‘Not even a little bit,’ Hildy announces almost proudly. ‘We’re the hall of records. We don’t pass judgment on whether something is good or bad. We just make sure it’s written down.’”

Here, Trey has gone to research the Barstow Collective’s claim on the Albion Pond land. Upon discovering that the company owns the land, he immediately tries to get more information, which the clerk in this scene does not have and is not interested in obtaining. Trey’s new understanding of right and wrong makes him curious as to why the Barstow Collective owns the land and what they intend to do with it. The clerk’s response highlights the idea that not everyone shares Trey’s view of right and wrong. Given that the clerk isn’t interested in the legitimacy of the Barstow Collective as long as the paperwork is in order, the scene also pokes fun at the government’s indifference toward potentially important issues.

“Is anybody suffering around here? Do you see people doing without? Our investors don’t need the money they’re going to lose in El Capitan. That’s why they’re willing to gamble. When you take a gamble, you’re prepared for the possibility that it might not pay off. That’s all that’s happening here.”

Trey’s dad offers this explanation when Trey argues that stealing from the people of the Pointe is wrong. Trey’s dad justifies the El Capitan scam by claiming that the size of his marks’ homes clearly means they have more money than they need. Furthermore, he believes that his con is no different than when people lose money on a legitimate venture, reasoning that in either case, the investors do not know if their investment will pay off. In reality, Trey’s dad these two things are not the same because the El Capitan scam is a guaranteed failure, while a legitimate venture would have at least a chance of success. Thus, these lines show what Trey’s dad is willing to lie to himself and to Trey in order to justify a con.

“What we do is called a confidence game. People give us their money because we’ve given them confidence in El Capitan Motors. Eventually they’ll see they’ve been tricked, but for now it’s something they believe is real. Forging a check is different. That’s like reaching into their pockets and stealing.”

Here, Arianna has just proposed that her family steal from a local family by forging a check and withdrawing as much money as they want. Ironically, although the El Capitan scam is just as immoral as this idea, Trey’s dad draws a distinction between his grifting and the idea of check fraud, explaining that forging a check is flat-out stealing. In reality, his own actions can also be categorized as theft, even if his methods are indirect. The only difference is in the likelihood of success. The con game works better because people don’t immediately realize that they are being tricked. By contrast, forging a check is a much riskier venture.

“Kaylee’s really keen and sincere, but she’s very young. You all are. I respect your beliefs and admire your spirit, but this country runs on business. That factory is going to be built somewhere, whether it’s here or in another town or in another state. El Capitan is coming, and nothing is going to stop it.”

Kaylee’s dad says this to Trey when Trey tries to convince him not to invest in the fake company. This speech reveals the flavor of adult cynicism with which Kaylee’s dad views the world. Outwardly, Kaylee’s dad has supported Kaylee’s fight to restore Albion Pond, but this scene makes it clear that he does not believe her efforts will be successful. Essentially, he has grown jaded by the evidence that people are willing to hold onto money and power at any cost. His willingness to invest in El Capitan, even though it would against Kaylee’s fight shows that he doesn’t believe individuals have the ability to affect change, especially when big business is involved.

“Our game is confidence. People hand over their money because they believe in us. It may look like our product is a car company or a show dog or earthquake insurance. But what we’re really selling is ourselves—which means we have to be very careful about how we appear. If there’s any disorganization or disagreement or chaos among us, people will sense it and back away.”

Here, Trey’s dad explains how their business works. In this instance, Trey can no longer accept that the family’s grifting is justified. As Trey’s dad explains, the family steals people’s money by exuding so much confidence that their “marks” will eagerly pay for the illusion that they are selling. Now, Trey’s decision to leave the party to attend the Albion Pond fundraiser marks a schism between him and his dad, marring the perfect image of unity and “confidence” that his dad is determined to project within the community. However, his dad’s speech is not enough to convince Trey.

“I have no memory of learning the truth about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. We moved around too much for traditional holiday celebrations. This must be how that feels—the hard facts at last, no magic included.”

In the moment when Trey loses his trust in his dad and in the grifting lifestyle, he mourns his disillusionment and compares his dismay to what it must be like for children to learn that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny do not exist. His newfound bitterness lends weight to this whimsical comparison and suggests that his entire view of the world has shifted dramatically. Up until now, Trey has been able to ignore the unethical aspects of grifting because he was raised to believe that the marks deserve such mistreatment. Now, he finally strips away his father’s shiny lies and realizes that what his family does is simple theft.

“I walked into her room holding all the cards. She did a terrible thing, and I could prove it beyond any doubt. And somehow she beat me. She zoomed in on the one weak spot in my argument and used it to chop me into hamburger. And by the time she was through, I was the one who messed up, not her.”

Trey thinks this after Arianna outsmarts him in the matter of her anonymous emails. This moment highlights the similarities between Arianna and their dad, and it also shows that Trey now holds very different values than the rest of his family. While Trey is brave when he feels in control, his demeanor changes when Arianna gains the upper hand, and it is clear that Trey does not have the confidence required to be a successful grifter. By contrast, Arianna has this skill and is willing to use it to get what she wants. In this moment, Trey is Arianna’s mark, and although Trey doesn’t realize it, he feels just like his dad’s marks do when they realize they’ve been fooled.

“All at once, I’m aware of a surge of sympathy mixed with admiration for Logan. How much courage must it take to admit all this to me? I can think of a dozen close friends I’ve left behind, stretching from Rudy clear back to when I was a little kid. At least half the time, I knew it was goodbye, but I never had the guts to say it. The secrecy was part of my job, the price of admission in the family business.”

Here, Logan has just told Trey the truth about his family’s true status as con artists. This moment solidifies Trey’s decision to leave the family business, and he also reflects on his growing remorse over his past actions toward previous friends. Trey understands the rules Logan has broken here because his own dad uses very similar rules. Trey also understands that he doesn’t want to live like this anymore; he hates always leaving people behind and never having any real connections in his life.

“I’ve talked a lot of people out of a lot of money. But it would have taken a lot more than my skills to talk myself into going straight. Congratulations, Trey. The student has become the teacher.”

Even when he concedes the necessity of giving up his life of grifting, Trey’s dad cannot help but frame Trey’s persuasiveness as yet another con. In reality, however, Trey’s persuasiveness lies in his ability to speak the truth and to appeal to his dad’s better nature. This moment also highlights that Trey has repurposed his dad’s persuasive tactics for a much nobler cause than fleecing people of their money.