Was Lizzie Borden a kleptomaniac

Answer 1

Lizzie Borden did in fact have 'sticky fingers'. It was hardly a secret to her family and merchants around Fall River. Storekeepers had an unspoken agreement with Lizzie's father Andrew. Lizzie would exercise her talent for five finger discounts when the mood struck, and the proprietor of said store would send Andrew the bill. Nothing was every said, silent agreements tend to be less embarassing for all concerned. But local business owners were not the only ones at the receiving end of Lizzie's thievery. Andrew himself had found cash missing from his bedroom. He had to keep the room locked while he was away from the house.

Years after her aquittal for the murders of her father and stepmother, Lizzie was caught stealing from a local art dealer. Her earlier thefts may be rationalized by her lack of spending money due to her tight-fisted father, but with his death, Lizzie and her sister Emma were among the wealthiest women in the state. She obviously could afford to buy whatever she wished, yet she chose to steal reguardless of her financial situation. This seems to be a very telling and revealing fact into the psychi of Miss Borden.