It was Christmas Eve, 1852, in London, a jolly time for those who could enjoy the holiday, and a plain working time for those who could not. The third type of person, the professional crook, who lived on the fringes of society, sometimes cheered the season. There was no one that trained pickpockets more skillfully than Fagin. As he set out with Nancy, The Artful Dodger, and Oliver, Fagin could readily imagine the rich pickings that his crew of thieves would soon produce from distracted passersby.