“So, do you know Fagin? Like in the play?” “I do,” he says. “And I know it isn’t whatever that was.” He’s indicating me with his fork, and it’s all laughs again. “Yeah, I had a feeling,” says Arthur. “Do you think he’s a villain? It’s kind of confusing, because he’s pretty nice to the boys.” “I think he’s the best kind of villain,” Leo says. “He’s the kind of villain who does something horrible but who we still love. You can see his humanity, even though he’s taking advantage of those boys. Characters like Fagin get to the core of what it means to be a human being—we are both light and dark.”
