th, paid, treasure, etc... A close reading of this play presents a multitude of instances where words from the financial register appear, and this is especially true when considering Peachum.
             Peachum is a man completely dominated by money and self-serving accruement of capital. This business focus is evident in the words Peachum uses throughout The Beggar's Opera, and relates to Gay's view on the twisted ethics of vice-ridden capitalist England. Peachum amasses capital in two ways: By selling goods stolen by his underlings, and also turning both associates and rivals in for rewards. The reader is presented with Peachum's self-serving accumulation of money, while straddling both sides of the law, upon his appearance in the play. From Peachum's introduction to the play in Act I, Scene 1, where he sits with an account book in front of him, to his last appearance in Act III, Scene 11, Peachum's greed is apparent. In Act I, Scenes 2-3, Peachum speaks of profiting from turning in members of his own gang in a detached manner. These aforementioned passages clearly show a lack of any ethical standard in Peachum's character, for he is bent on self-serving accumulation of mo!
             Peachum's obsession with money is evident even when the subject of his daughter Polly's marriage becomes an issue. The register of finance comes up again and again in Peachum and his wife's (read simply as a feminine Peachum) discourse concerning Polly and marriage. Consider
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