Irwin Shaw was born into a wealthy family, but his father went bankrupt during the Great Depression, and Irwin was forced to help his parents and work part-time at a factory and in a store since he was a teenager. This experience had a huge impact on him — the theme of money and social inequality would later take center stage in such works as "Rich Man, Poor Man", "Beggar, Thief" and "Night Porter".The novel "Beggar, Thief" included in this edition serves as a continuation of the novel "Rich Man, poor Man". After Tom's death, Rudy tries to sort out his brother's inheritance, and Tom's son Wesley tries to get to know his father better and take revenge on his killer.