Tom's a hard kid to pin down, and not just because he's always jumping fences, running off to islands, and getting lost in caves. From a moral perspective, his actions are a bit confusing. Sometimes he's admirable, but other times not so much. He's tricks his entire family – heck, the entire town – into believing he's dead, and he takes great pride in doing so, but he can just as easily demonstrate his remorse for the whole thing and kiss Aunt Polly on the cheek. He's always playing hooky, but he's also saving lives – Muff Potter would be a dead man without him.