Dill lies about his father—and many other things. What is probably his motivation? What does Dill add to the children’s lives?

At the outset of this story, Dill describes his father as having a long black beard. When the children begin playing and describing someone with a beard, Dill recants his statement, lying again and saying that his father had shaved it off "last summer." He also says that his father allowed him to help the conductors of a famous railroad, and that he had been sent money by him. None of the above are true.

Dill's reasons for lying boil down to the issue of attention: He is not affectionately tended to in the same way the Finch children are, and therefore feels the need to invent or justify his family's actions. And while Dill may not be as well-parented as the Finches, he does have a way with persuasion and imagination; Dill is the instigator of most of the mischief experienced by Jem and Scout, in fact. He is a friend, cohort, and fellow conspirator in most situations.