Themes
"Crime doesn't pay": "Swindle" tries to trick the kids into giving him the card for almost nothing. They are fooled until they see that he was lying, and they break-in to get the card. In the end, Swindle loses everything, "Palomino's Emporium of Collectibles closed its doors for good." (251). So, as you can see, one of the themes that could be taken from this is that crime doesn't pay.
"Don't trust someone you don't know": When Griffin and Ben find the card, they immediately go to Swindle, and he says that it's worthless, and they believe him. Before they gave it to him, they should have gone to other, more reliable, sources. Just listening to Swindle was a mistake, which they realized later on, and tried to do something about it. His own nickname shows that he is not trustworthy! He boasts about the card to them after they confront him about stealing it, "You were after money, just like I was after money. Everyone's after money. Some of us are just a little better at it, that's all." (38).
"APD and U.S. Marshals Gang Arrests Criminal Defense Attorney Offers Legal Representation." Free Press Release Distribution Service. 12 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
Rebecca. "Circle of Trust". Chart. 15 March 2012. In the Legal Industry, who can you trust?. The Legal Shakeup. Web. 14 Oct 2013.
Rebecca. "Circle of Trust". Chart. 15 March 2012. In the Legal Industry, who can you trust?. The Legal Shakeup. Web. 14 Oct 2013.