A life can be ruined unexpectedly at an instant. In Walter Dean Myers’ crime fiction novel, Monster, The author shows Steve’s friends betraying him unexpectedly. Hard situations can cause people to betray others for their own gain. During the novel, many people show how selfish they are. (1) Mr. Zinzi buys stolen goods, then tries gets the seller in trouble. Mr. Zinzi shows his selfishness by doing illegal things, and calling the police on people who do the same thing. O’Brien catches Mr. Zinzi by pointing out that his greed causes him to turn on people like himself. When he sees an opportunity for more money he acts upon it "Let me get this straight, Mr. Zinzi. You'd buy stolen goods for profit, rat on somebody to save your own hide,