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The Thief of Always

388 statements
76 feature instances
9 referencing feature instances

The Thief of Always	type	TVTItem
The Thief of Always	label	The Thief of Always
The Thief of Always	page	TheThiefOfAlways
The Thief of Always	comment	The Thief of Always is a fable written by Clive Barker that may read like a children's book, but it's just as enjoyable for adults. It deals with temptation, growing up and mortality, and it has a few good helpings of horror, as expected of Clive Barker.Ten-year-old Harvey Swick is unsatisfied with boring, day-to-day life; he is sick of dealing with school, homework, nagging parents... Until a shady figure named Rictus appears in his room and offers him a stay at the "Holiday House", a paradise where kids don't age or ever have work. There are four seasons a day, every night is Christmas, and the House grants any wish, all made possible by a man called Mr. Hood.Harvey quickly befriends the incumbent residents of the house: two other kids named Wendell and Lulu, kindly caretaker Mrs. Griffin and her seemingly sentient cats, and two of Rictus's "siblings". However, some sinister hints are dropped, such as the collection of children's clothes in the attic, the foreboding lake with child-sized fish behind the House, and mentions of a fourth member of Rictus's family called "Carna". Above all, who is Mr. Hood and where does he get his power from? Eventually, Harvey's curiosity and growing suspicions about the House lead him to discover some unpleasant truths...
The Thief of Always	fetched	2023-05-07T14:13:53Z
The Thief of Always	parsed	2023-05-07T14:13:53Z
The Thief of Always	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Thief of Always / int_170128e9	type	Right Behind Me
The Thief of Always / int_170128e9	comment	Right Behind Me: After Hood is seemingly defeated, Rictus reveals that he had secretly stolen some of Hood's power for himself. But then a hand reaches out of the ruins of the House and grabs him...
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The Thief of Always / int_185ea595	type	The Trickster
The Thief of Always / int_185ea595	comment	The Trickster: Rictus appears to be this at first, but later on it's shown that Harvey fits the heroic variation.
The Thief of Always / int_185ea595	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Thief of Always / int_18d15922	type	Title Drop
The Thief of Always / int_18d15922	comment	Title Drop: In a "Not So Different" Remark, "Vampire King" Hood tells Harvey he is a "Thief of Always" just like him.
The Thief of Always / int_18d15922	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Thief of Always / int_1ba8eb64	type	Visual Pun
The Thief of Always / int_1ba8eb64	comment	Visual Pun: Lulu has a doll's house occupied by her pet lizards, who are lounging around on the furniture, making them literal Lounge Lizards. The accompanying image makes this even clearer.
The Thief of Always / int_1ba8eb64	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Thief of Always / int_1fb440a6	type	Voluntary Shapeshifting
The Thief of Always / int_1fb440a6	comment	Voluntary Shapeshifting: Played with. Marr has the ability to transform other people, she uses it to turn Harvey into a giant bat at his request. However...
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The Thief of Always / int_1fc8335e	type	Deal with the Devil
The Thief of Always / int_1fc8335e	comment	Downplayed for Mrs. Griffin, who struck a Deal with the Devil to become immortal. She is still very kind-hearted, though, and her deal was motivated purely by a fear of death.
The Thief of Always / int_1fc8335e	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Thief of Always / int_22cf536c	type	Chekhov's Gun
The Thief of Always / int_22cf536c	comment	Chekhov's Gun: The Ark is seen and referenced several times throughout the story, and features as part of Harvey's final attack on Hood.
The Thief of Always / int_22cf536c	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Thief of Always / int_2673425b	type	Kid Hero
The Thief of Always / int_2673425b	comment	Kid Hero: Our main character Harvey Swick is a young boy.
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The Thief of Always / int_2969dda7	type	Nightmare Fetishist
The Thief of Always / int_2969dda7	comment	Nightmare Fetishist: Harvey, particularly for becoming a vampire. During the Halloween night where he is transformed into a vampire, he really enjoys the experience, is tempted to attack Wendell for a moment when the latter offers him as a much better victim instead (not knowing it is Harvey, and never finding out, for that matter), and is saddened once the spell is taken away. Later, when he feels he has been defeated, he fervently wishes he could just be a vampire again.
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The Thief of Always / int_29a39f6	type	Easter Egg
The Thief of Always / int_29a39f6	comment	Easter Egg: In the illustration of the Halloween masks, one of the masks is of Pinhead.
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The Thief of Always / int_2f36d97	type	Older Than They Look
The Thief of Always / int_2f36d97	comment	Older Than They Look: The residents of the House have come from various different points in time. However for every one day at Holiday House, a whole year passed in the real world.
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The Thief of Always / int_34e15b76	type	Kindhearted Cat Lover
The Thief of Always / int_34e15b76	comment	Kindhearted Cat Lover: Mrs. Griffin, who has three cats. This also plays a pivotal role in her backstory.
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The Thief of Always / int_38b2491d	type	The Fog of Ages
The Thief of Always / int_38b2491d	comment	The Fog of Ages: Mrs. Griffin is Really 700 Years Old, as she struck a deal with Hood for immortality. Not even she knows how old she really is.
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The Thief of Always / int_3ea7916d	type	Immortality Immorality
The Thief of Always / int_3ea7916d	comment	Immortality Immorality: Hood, who stays immortal by stealing the souls and life force of children. Downplayed for Mrs. Griffin, who struck a Deal with the Devil to become immortal. She is still very kind-hearted, though, and her deal was motivated purely by a fear of death.
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The Thief of Always / int_3ebb2292	type	Hyperactive Sprite
The Thief of Always / int_3ebb2292	comment	Jive, something energetic and lively or deceitful.
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The Thief of Always / int_3fb4b1cb	type	The Renfield
The Thief of Always / int_3fb4b1cb	comment	The Renfield: Rictus is revealed to be one for Hood, acting as his lackey. Jive is also said to function as this.
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The Thief of Always / int_40cc0c7e	type	Bittersweet Ending
The Thief of Always / int_40cc0c7e	comment	Bittersweet Ending: The heroes and all the previous children whose lives were stolen and souls got turned into fish escape Holiday House, but they have to go back to their separate time periods, going back hundreds of years ago, with most of them never seeing each other again. When Harvey encounters Lulu again outside the House, she's already a middle-aged woman (much older than Harvey’s parents) and engaged. Mrs Griffen is also killed, slowly fading away out of existence. Though that being said, it’s implied Mrs Griffen and Stew-Cat are ascending to heaven, where she can reunite with the deceased Clue-Cat (who died being burned alive by the lunch that was being cooked), Blue-Cat (who was murdered for leading Harvey and Wendell free) and Mrs Griffen’s father (who would have passed away many centuries ago). As well as that, Mrs Griffen had lived so long feeling so miserable and guilty allowing Mr. Hood to do what he does to his young guests that she had become a Death Seeker.
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The Thief of Always / int_42a055ac	type	Happy Place
The Thief of Always / int_42a055ac	comment	Happy Place: Holiday House, and the book name drops the trope title. Combines with Epiphanic Prison to form a Lotus-Eater Machine that traps children inside.
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The Thief of Always / int_474e3977	type	You Have Failed Me
The Thief of Always / int_474e3977	comment	You Have Failed Me: Rictus, who reveals he has betrayed Hood by stealing some of his magic for himself, and plans to become his successor. Hood promptly reforms himself into a new form and murders him for his betrayal.
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The Thief of Always / int_4a0ec47a	type	Cheshire Cat Grin
The Thief of Always / int_4a0ec47a	comment	Rictus, which means a fixed grin or grimace. He is said to smile a lot of the time, which is said to be wider than a Shark’s grin. When he’s not smiling, he’s grimacing.
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The Thief of Always / int_4aa3c552	type	Animorphism
The Thief of Always / int_4aa3c552	comment	Animorphism: For Halloween, Harvey is transformed into a vampire by Marr. A real one.
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The Thief of Always / int_4fa3a61f	type	The Barnum
The Thief of Always / int_4fa3a61f	comment	The Barnum: Hood gains immortality by luring in gullible, greedy, lazy or just plain lonely children to the Holiday House and then taking their souls when they've spent enough time there.
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The Thief of Always / int_504a1991	type	Body Horror
The Thief of Always / int_504a1991	comment	Marr, which means to ruin or damage the perfection or attractiveness of something, and it’s mentioned that Marr is not very attractive, resembling a slug and having the power to make humans into monsters for a short period of time.
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The Thief of Always / int_53f5119f	type	The Dragon
The Thief of Always / int_53f5119f	comment	The Dragon: Carna is more beastly and monsterous and acts as Mr. Hood's more serious enforcer compared to the other members of his Quirky Miniboss Squad.
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The Thief of Always / int_54d6f53f	type	Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory
The Thief of Always / int_54d6f53f	comment	Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: When everyone returns to their own times, they all retain their memories of what happened, even though the Bad Future for Harvey and Wendell is erased.
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The Thief of Always / int_5541da8c	type	Lotus-Eater Machine
The Thief of Always / int_5541da8c	comment	Lotus-Eater Machine: The House functions as one. Hood uses illusions and magic to keep children happy, making them want to stay.
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The Thief of Always / int_57efd4c4	type	Growing Up Sucks
The Thief of Always / int_57efd4c4	comment	Growing Up Sucks: Played with. It's definitely a theme in the beginning of the novel.
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The Thief of Always / int_5bdcc85a	type	Disney Villain Death
The Thief of Always / int_5bdcc85a	comment	Disney Villain Death (doubles as Karmic Death): Hood is killed when he dives into the lake and is pulled into a swirling vortex, which agonisingly destroys him.
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The Thief of Always / int_5da3f522	type	Big Brother Is Watching
The Thief of Always / int_5da3f522	comment	Big Brother Is Watching: The House itself is listening to you.
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The Thief of Always / int_60fa92ac	type	Names to Run Away from Really Fast
The Thief of Always / int_60fa92ac	comment	Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Carna, invoking carnage. Rictus and Marr also count if you get the Meaningful Name.
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The Thief of Always / int_66d4d0e6	type	Defeat by Modesty
The Thief of Always / int_66d4d0e6	comment	Defeat by Modesty: The last thing Harvey takes from Hood is also the last thing protecting Hood's final secret: a set of rags he'd been using as clothing, which had been hiding that he has a black void of nothingness instead of a heart. Hood is so desperate to get them back that he suffers Death by Materialism trying to do it.
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The Thief of Always / int_697e3ecb	type	Involuntary Shapeshifting
The Thief of Always / int_697e3ecb	comment	Involuntary Shapeshifting: When Marr is hoisted by her own petard.
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The Thief of Always / int_6b2b3b59	type	The Reveal
The Thief of Always / int_6b2b3b59	comment	The Reveal: Several, most notably the real nature of the House, and Mrs. Griffin's mysterious backstory.
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The Thief of Always / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
The Thief of Always / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: Marr, which means to ruin or damage the perfection or attractiveness of something, and it’s mentioned that Marr is not very attractive, resembling a slug and having the power to make humans into monsters for a short period of time. Jive, something energetic and lively or deceitful. Rictus, which means a fixed grin or grimace. He is said to smile a lot of the time, which is said to be wider than a Shark’s grin. When he’s not smiling, he’s grimacing. Mrs. Griffin, who acts as a protector of children. Clue-Cat, is given his name because he is the most curious of Mrs Griffen’s cats and has a tail that points upwards and twists at the top, like a question mark. Blue-Cat, is given his name because of his blue fur. Stew-Cat, it’s not made clear why he has his name, but it is implied he likes food.
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The Thief of Always / int_70b840b6	type	Giving Them the Strip
The Thief of Always / int_70b840b6	comment	Giving Them the Strip: Harvey is grabbed by the back of the jacket, so he slips out of his jacket to escape.
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The Thief of Always / int_77644ae3	type	Fantastic Fragility
The Thief of Always / int_77644ae3	comment	Fantastic Fragility: To defeat the Big Bad, Harvey wishes up a real, live ark, then an impossible feast, then for every season at once, under the guise of a soon-to-be apprentice testing his master's power. This ends up destroying the House and draining the Big Bad's power.
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The Thief of Always / int_7abba202	type	The Faceless
The Thief of Always / int_7abba202	comment	The Faceless: Mr. Hood does make a "body" for himself from the remains of Holiday House, but his true face is never seen.
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The Thief of Always / int_7c0bfb83	type	Obviously Evil
The Thief of Always / int_7c0bfb83	comment	Obviously Evil: Rictus, who often sports an unnatural, sharklike grin. He targets children who long for escapism from mundane life, which is relatively smart because anybody else would quickly realise that he has no good intentions.
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The Thief of Always / int_85fc8aa3	type	Reset Button Ending
The Thief of Always / int_85fc8aa3	comment	Reset Button Ending: At the end of the story, all children are sent back to their own times, having only lost the few months they spent at the House as children.
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The Thief of Always / int_889cff96	type	Quirky Miniboss Squad
The Thief of Always / int_889cff96	comment	Quirky Miniboss Squad: Rictus and his family function as this to Mr. Hood's plans.
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The Thief of Always / int_8b3fe1cb	type	Flaw Exploitation
The Thief of Always / int_8b3fe1cb	comment	Flaw Exploitation: Rictus' specialty. He takes advantage of children's desire for escapism to manipulate them into Mr. Hood's clutches.
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The Thief of Always / int_8b442f50	type	Did Not Get the Girl
The Thief of Always / int_8b442f50	comment	Did Not Get the Girl: At the end of the book all the children who were trapped at Holiday House return back to their own time periods. Lulu being older than Harvey is an old woman by the time Harvey is just the same age.
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The Thief of Always / int_8caa992e	type	Weak-Willed
The Thief of Always / int_8caa992e	comment	Weak-Willed: Wendell isn't a very strong character in that when he and Harvey return to try and fight Mr. Hood, Wendall is easily brought back under the house's spell.
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The Thief of Always / int_985d6d7f	type	Master of Illusion
The Thief of Always / int_985d6d7f	comment	Master of Illusion: Hood, who uses illusions to trap children in his House, in order to steal their souls.
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The Thief of Always / int_9a5ae2a2	type	More Teeth than the Osmond Family
The Thief of Always / int_9a5ae2a2	comment	More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Carna is described as having hundreds of teeth, which she apparently likes to steal (some were stolen from Marr). Rictus is also described as having a huge, sharklike grin with a lot of perfect teeth.
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The Thief of Always / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
The Thief of Always / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: Harvey's transformation into a vampire for Halloween.
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The Thief of Always / int_9f63d4f1	type	Our Vampires Are Different
The Thief of Always / int_9f63d4f1	comment	Our Vampires Are Different: Harvey turns into something more akin to classical vampires, with a red throat, black fur, and leathery wings under his arms.
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The Thief of Always / int_a633a438	type	Really700YearsOld
The Thief of Always / int_a633a438	comment	Really 700 Years Old: Mrs. Griffen, the housekeeper at Holiday House. Mrs Griffen was the first child to visit the Holiday House. It was after her pet cat died and her father refused to get her another one; she ran away from home. Rictus then found her and invited her to visit the House. Mr. Hood gave her 3 pet cats (Blue Cat, Stew Cat and Clue Cat) that would live forever. However, rather than steal her soul, realising Mrs. Griffen’s skills at cooking, she could be handy to keep and spared her, granting her immortality with him. Mrs. Griffen doesn’t know what year it is when she meets Harvey or what year it is when he returns after the escape, but she doesn’t care, she’d rather not know. Her father is definitely dead and so is every person she knew before entering the Holiday House. Mrs. Griffen has no idea how old she really is, but she knows she must be at least a few centuries old. Probably more. Seeing so much misery and so many children come and go before imprisoned in the lake by Mr. Hood has made her a Death Seeker.
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The Thief of Always / int_a939d96a	type	Adults Are Useless
The Thief of Always / int_a939d96a	comment	Adults Are Useless: Due to Hood's magic, only children can find the house. When adults try, all attempts to find the House fail.
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The Thief of Always / int_b04fdcc4	type	Loners Are Freaks
The Thief of Always / int_b04fdcc4	comment	Loners Are Freaks: Wendell believes that Lulu qualifies for this trope, but once Harvey gets to know her she's quite nice. Unfortunately, there's a reason (see Body Horror) why she keeps to herself...
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The Thief of Always / int_b06bbf4b	type	Be Careful What You Wish For
The Thief of Always / int_b06bbf4b	comment	Be Careful What You Wish For: The book's premise as Harvey wants to escape the responsibilities of growing up but finds getting all his wishes comes at a heavy price at Holiday House.
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The Thief of Always / int_b58642b1	type	Trapped in Another World
The Thief of Always / int_b58642b1	comment	Trapped in Another World: After Harvey and Wendell escape the first time, they end up in a Bad Future where the world has moved ahead by decades, and their parents have grown old without them.
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The Thief of Always / int_b58b4e3c	type	Too Dumb to Live
The Thief of Always / int_b58b4e3c	comment	Too Dumb to Live: Rictus boasting about how he stole some of Mr. Hood's magic for preservation right on top of the ruins where Hood seemingly fell, leads to his downfall when the ruins reform into Hood's hand, which decapitates him as punishment for his betrayal.
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The Thief of Always / int_b611d947	type	Pleasure Island
The Thief of Always / int_b611d947	comment	Pleasure Island: At the Holiday House there are four seasons a day, every night is Christmas, and the House grants any wish, all made possible by a man called Mr. Hood. Eventually though, Harvey's curiosity and growing suspicions about the House lead him to discover some unpleasant truths...
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The Thief of Always / int_c420a553	type	We Can Rule Together
The Thief of Always / int_c420a553	comment	We Can Rule Together: Hood plays this straight with Harvey, offering him a Deal with the Devil.
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The Thief of Always / int_c5385ad9	type	Horrible Judge of Character
The Thief of Always / int_c5385ad9	comment	Horrible Judge of Character: Harvey's longing to escape from his boring everyday life leaves him vulnerable to the manipulations of the Obviously Evil Rictus. To be fair, Harvey grows increasingly suspicious of the Holiday House over time, and eventually takes down its master.
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The Thief of Always / int_c86392ee	type	The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday
The Thief of Always / int_c86392ee	comment	The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: Only specific children can find their way to Holiday House or have to be lead there by one of his henchmen. When Harvey and his Dad try to go looking for it, they are unable to get there.
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The Thief of Always / int_cabd513c	type	Jedi Mind Trick
The Thief of Always / int_cabd513c	comment	Jedi Mind Trick: Hood's illusions can be very persuasive for the Weak-Willed.
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The Thief of Always / int_cd3ebc8e	type	What Year Is This?
The Thief of Always / int_cd3ebc8e	comment	What Year Is This?: Subverted, no mention is made of what year it is, currently or in the Bad Future, no one asks, and when Harvey asks Mrs. Griffin, they'd rather not say because it would be too painful.
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The Thief of Always / int_d2b59903	type	Cool Old Lady
The Thief of Always / int_d2b59903	comment	Cool Old Lady: Mrs. Griffin, who is herself a prisoner (the first one, in fact), takes care of the children and tries to provide them with as much happiness as she can before their end. She also helps Harvey escape the first time around.
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The Thief of Always / int_d2ccb43e	type	Delicious Distraction
The Thief of Always / int_d2ccb43e	comment	Delicious Distraction: Harvey doesn't fall for it, but Wendell does.
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The Thief of Always / int_d397657d	type	Hoist by His Own Petard
The Thief of Always / int_d397657d	comment	Hoist by His Own Petard: Marr, who Harvey forces to reshape herself into her dream appearance. Unfortunately, she dreams of nothing. Jive, wanting to demonstrate that the food is not poisoned, eats it. The food is really dust, however, which reminds his body that it, too, is dust, upon which he turns to dust himself. Rictus stole a bit of Hood's magic as insurance. However, he gloats about this right on top of the ruins, which promptly reform into Hood's hand, and forces him to release the magic, leading to Hood's One-Winged Angel form. Hood, eager to please Harvey so he will accept his Deal with the Devil, ends up draining his own magic to do so, and destroying his first form with Harvey's final wish.
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The Thief of Always / int_d75a1703	type	Year Outside, Hour Inside
The Thief of Always / int_d75a1703	comment	Year Outside, Hour Inside: For every day spent at Holiday House, a whole year passes in the real world.
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The Thief of Always / int_db8ace03	type	Epiphanic Prison
The Thief of Always / int_db8ace03	comment	Epiphanic Prison: Besides the wall, the House also creates illusions that trap children inside their own minds. It takes a strong will to resist these illusions, and see things for what they really are (if only glimpses). Wendell, however, is weak willed, and easily falls under Hood's sway again on his return.
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The Thief of Always / int_deb39de3	type	Bad Future
The Thief of Always / int_deb39de3	comment	Bad Future: The first time Harvey escapes, it's revealed that a year passed for every day spent at Holiday House. Harvey disappeared for 30 years and returned to his parents as a 10-year-old boy.
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The Thief of Always / int_e294a0be	type	Our Souls Are Different
The Thief of Always / int_e294a0be	comment	Our Souls Are Different: Losing yours apparently causes you to turn into a fish.
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The Thief of Always / int_e2d457	type	The Ditz
The Thief of Always / int_e2d457	comment	The Ditz: Wendell. He doesn't care about much of anything, and just likes to loaf around. He isn't very bright, or brave, or strong willed, but somehow always manages to stay out of danger, especially during the final fight, to which he is completely oblivious.
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The Thief of Always / int_e52a0cac	type	He Who Must Not Be Seen
The Thief of Always / int_e52a0cac	comment	He Who Must Not Be Seen: Mr. Hood, for the majority of the book
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The Thief of Always / int_e794cb54	type	Powered by a Forsaken Child
The Thief of Always / int_e794cb54	comment	Powered by a Forsaken Child: Hood's powers are fueled by the souls of children, which in turn he uses to lure and trap more children.
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The Thief of Always / int_e8b0f099	type	Dark Is Evil
The Thief of Always / int_e8b0f099	comment	Dark Is Evil: But it's hard to spot the darkness at first...
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The Thief of Always / int_ea39d156	type	Who Wants to Live Forever?
The Thief of Always / int_ea39d156	comment	Who Wants to Live Forever?: Mrs. Griffin, after being granted immortality as part of her deal with Hood, has grown tired of it and has become a Death Seeker.
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The Thief of Always / int_f64a9cf7	type	Earn Your Happy Ending
The Thief of Always / int_f64a9cf7	comment	Earn Your Happy Ending: Harvey and Wendell manage to escape from the House halfway through the book. However, they both have lost a lot of years of their lives, and had to leave Lulu behind, for whom it was already too late. They decide to return and fight Hood for their lost time, which leads to the actual happy ending.
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The Thief of Always / int_f8fe0279	type	Impossibly Delicious Food
The Thief of Always / int_f8fe0279	comment	Impossibly Delicious Food: Every night is Halloween, then Christmas.
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The Thief of Always / int_fc33ff16	type	One-Winged Angel
The Thief of Always / int_fc33ff16	comment	One-Winged Angel: Hood. His first form is the House itself. After his first defeat, he becomes a giant built out of the wreckage of the House.
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The Thief of Always / int_fff371b4	type	Death Seeker
The Thief of Always / int_fff371b4	comment	Death Seeker: Mrs. Griffin, made immortal as part of her Deal with the Devil because she feared death, has now lived so long and seen so much that she welcomes death in the end.
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Thief of Always	hasFeature	Animorphism / int_12c5cbd8
The Thief of Always	hasFeature	Children's Literature / int_12c5cbd8
The Thief of Always	hasFeature	Delicious Distraction / int_12c5cbd8
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The Thief of Always	hasFeature	Giving Them the Strip / int_12c5cbd8
The Thief of Always	hasFeature	Growing Up Sucks / int_12c5cbd8
The Thief of Always	hasFeature	Hyperactive Sprite / int_12c5cbd8
The Thief of Always	hasFeature	Pleasure Island / int_12c5cbd8
The Thief Of Always	seeAlso	The Thief of Always

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