Huck Finn "can't stand" hypocrisy, greed and "sivilz'ation". Twain seems to suggest that the uncivilized way of life is better: he draws upon the ideas of Rousseau in his belief that civilization corrupts, rather than improves human beings. Huck has had very little contact with society, and Twain implies that it is this lack of "civilizing" that has allowed him to remain so free of greed. The Watson sisters are considered by the people of their town to be upstanding citizens, yet they had few qualms about auctioning Jim off. Huck was much poorer than the Watsons were, but no matter how badly he needed money, he would never consider selling Jim, or turning him in for the reward. In addition, during the Wilks sisters incident, he had several chances just to grab the loot and leave. If he was of mediocre morality, he might leave some of the money for the girls before running off to the territories, never to be heard from again. However, as we know, Huck, instead of making himself wealthier, puts his own life at risk to save the girls. Altruistic actions like those aforementioned are what sets Huck apart from the archetypal "good guy". He is so far removed from human nature's desire to do what's best for oneself that he seems almost unrealistic. Nevertheless, perhaps that is Twain's way of illustrating how wonderful a boy could be without society's corrupting influence: Huck's upbringing (or lack thereof) has led him to the conclusion that money is a luxury, rather than a necessity. He is one of the few characters in the book who is truly rich--he has everything that money can't buy, and he knows the value of those things.
Huck is obviously the hero of the story, and displays no sing of covetousness whatsoever. However, there are other characters in the novel who are far better people than the Duke and the Dauphin, but are still not as free of corruption as Huck, who serves as an the epitome of magnanimity. Two of these less-than-perfect characters are the Widow, and her sister, Miss Watson. The Watson sisters were certainly kind to take in a loutish waif; doing so could not have contributed to the serenity of their household, nor could it have helped their financial situation. However, their image as compassionate, charitable old ladies is marred when Miss Watson decided to sell Jim down to New Orleans, and the widow agreed to let her. Since they had no reservations about tearing a man from his family for a few hundred dollars, they are obviously not the "good Christians" that they proclaim to be at heart. However, the sisters were partially redeemed when Miss Watson set Jim free in her will: one would have a hard time imagining such and action coming from the Duke or the Dauphin. Therefore, the Watson sisters are several tiers above them, and can be regarded as examples of the typical person, who is basically good at the core, but who cannot perceive and amend the ethical shortcomings of a defective society. Another person in the novel who is rather fond of money, but has a good heart despite his desire for capital, is Jim. He exhibited something akin to avarice when, near the beginning of the novel, he asked Huck to pay his hairball a quarter in order for it to reveal Huck's future. This covetousness reappears when Jim arrives on Huck's island, and talks of nothing but money for several days. However, Jim's greed is quite different from the pure, sickening type exhibited by the Duke and the Dauphin. Jim sees money as equivalent to freedom: with money, he can buy his own freedom and that of his family. Money also would allow him to live like a white person, thus raising his status in the society. In short, Jim does not want money for money's sake; rather, he sees capital as a way to correct the injustices thrust upon him by society. Therefore, throughout the novel, Jim constantly tries to get money, whereas Huck takes an fairly apathetic attitude towards the subject.
In stark contrast to both the innately moral Huck Finn and the "civilized" people of the time stand the Duke and the Dauphin. They are not your average con men: they are beneath than the worst rascals, for they will stop at nothing to obtain money. They are utterly shameless, and possess none of the honor and mercy that God supposedly granted all human beings at birth. When they produced the Royal Nonesuch show and used the weaknesses of "small town America" to rake in money, it was a low thing to do, but the scam didn't hurt anyone significantly. When the King convinced a devout religious community to take up a collection for him so that he could go back to the Indian ocean to "turn pirates into the true path", the prank is more ignominious than the last because he played the faith of gracious people. But truly ignoble is the way in which the Duke and the Dauphin posed as the uncles of the Wilks sisters and almost made off with the entire fortune without leaving a cent for their "nieces". Only with Huck's intervenence were the "sweet girls" saved from the amoral swindlers. This time, the Duke and the Dauphin really proved themselves avaricious and heartless, perhaps almost sub-human. From their former scams, they already had enough of money for a comfortable lifestyle, so they could not even use necessity as an excuse to bilk the Wilks. Also, this last scandal truly hurt people, and had it been successfully pulled of, the girls would have been bereft not only financially, but emotionally as well. Not yet mentioned is their selling of Jim after failing to run off with the Wilks' fortune, which was particularly disgusting not only because they were betraying a companion, but also because Jim wasn't their "property" to peddle in the first place. All of these incidents prove that once a man has devoted himself to the pursuit of money, he will have destroyed his heart. He will no longer be capable of enjoying life, for he will have lost all respect for all of humanity, which includes himself. Even if the Duke and the Dauphin had become rich, they could never be happy for they cannot enjoy any of the things that make life worth living (e.g. love, friendship, etc.).
All in all, the simplest moral of the book may be that money corrupts. People like the Duke and the Dauphin have become possessed by their desire for money. The void hole inside of them was carved out by their voracity and it has replaced their heart, soul and character. Like a black hole, it sucks in everything that enters, yet can never be full. Therefore, despite their success at trickery, the Duke and the Dauphin will never be as truly rich of a person as Huck Finn is. When the pair of swindlers are tarred, feathered and driven from town "astraddle of a rail", the readers realizes that the pursuit of money cannot lead one to a good end. The theme of money was threaded throughout the novel not only to convey a moral to its audience, but also to highlight the differences between the characters: it revealed how deeply the root of all evil had taken root in each man's heart.
