In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn states, "Human beings can be awful cruel to one another" (254). This theme reoccurs several times throughout the course of the novel.

One example is the King and the Duke. Everything they did was for them and did not care how they did it. They were cruel in several incidents. Especially each time they conned the different towns. They had the reverend take up a collection for them because they told him they were poor old men and had no money. They also put on a play and charged the citizens lots of money for an extremely short show. This outraged the citizens.

"Twenty people sings out: `What, is it over? Is that all"'"

"The duke says yes. Then there was a fine time. Everybody sings out `sold', and rose up mad, and was agoing for that...