有個小男孩在學校裏偷了同學的課本，並把課本帶回家交給了母親。母親非但沒有責罰他，反而鼓勵他。下一次，他偷了一件外衣仍然交給了母親，母親對他給予了更多的鼓勵。在母親的鼓舞下，成年之後的男孩偷了更多更有價值的東西回來。終於有一天，他被當場抓獲，進行公開處決。
這一天，小偷的母親在人群中捶胸頓足，非常傷心。這時，小偷向法官求情，希望在臨死之前能和母親說幾句悄悄話。等到母親走近，他突然用力銜住了母親的耳朵，撕了下來。疼痛的母親大聲斥責小偷大逆不道。小偷回答說： “如果你在我第一次偷課本回來的那次就能狠狠地教訓我一頓，我也不會有今天這麼可恥的下場。 ”
年幼時接受的教育對人格的塑造很重要。
A Boy stole a lesson-book from one of his schoolfellows and took it home to his Mother. She not only abstained from beating him，but enced him. He ole a d brought it to her，and she agaihe Youth，advao adulthood，proceeded to steal things of still greater value. At last he was the very ad having his hands bound behind him，was led away to the place of public exe.
His Mother followed in the d viole her breast in sorrow，whereupon the young man said，“I wish to say something to my Mother in her ear.” She ，and he quickly seized her ear with his teeth and bit it off. The Mother upbraided him as an unnatural child，whereon he replied，“Ah! if you had beate stht to you that lesson-book，I should o this，hus led to a disgraceful death.”
We are made by s in youth.