This paper examines the themes of the meaning of money and the meaning of worth as well as the very definition of what the
central characters are doing. The way in which the two children come to understand the difference comes about through their finding the money in the fountain. From the paper: "Oscar Wilde asked, and then answered his own question: "A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." This book is all about the difference between money, on the one hand, and value. Claudia takes Jamie with her because of all the people she knows he has the most money. And they become fascinated with solving the
mystery of the angel because they think it will lead them to great
riches."