It was the result of Ned and Emily Meriwether and Tom Bascomb's seemingly harmless prank on the Dorsets. Ned and Emily Meriwether are two children of high social status in the Mero community, as can be understood from their invitation to the Dorset party. Tom Bascomb, on the other hand, is the paper boy from West Vesey Place. Therefore he was not invited to the party. However, the three children come up with a plan to deceive Alfred and Louisa. Tom will attend the party with Emily in Ned's place, and Ned will sneak in as if he were Tom, an outsider. As noted above, the Dorsets pride themselves on inviting only the "best" children to their party; Tom is no such individual. Tom lives on Division Boulevard, an aptly named street. Tom takes this joke as “an opportunity to mock the group from which he has been excluded” or, more precisely, to mock the Dorsets' “social pretensions” (Robinson 287-88). As stated above, Alfred and Louisa are absolutely convinced that they can recognize a quality child when they see one. As a result, it is devastating for the Dorsets to discover that they have been deceived: "'Why, we know good children when we see them'... a pleading quality in his voice" (Taylor 166). They are reluctant to admit that they have confused Tom, an outsider, with Ned. They keep insisting that “it's not just about the money,” but ironically, the presumption of money is