Except in this case, nothing “evil” is really happening, unless we are talking about the 7 Deadly Sins. Then Greed would be the only evil.

As stated in The Code Book, the Beale Ciphers have been tried to been cracked by many experts within the field of code breaking and puzzle solving for years, but yet, ciphers have not been unscrambled. Even though this is true, the ciphers are still trying to be cracked today. Why? I believe there could two reasons as to why.

First one, easy: the money. Supposedly, one of the cipher leads to a great treasure worth millions of dollars. And in this day and age of inflation, costly healthcare, and expensive housing, who would give up the chance to be a multimillionaire Even before there were problems as big of these, money was still money. It means no more working if you did not want to; you can start that business, purchase that car, build your dream house, etc. just because you went on a treasure hunt and actually found the treasure. If you believe you are possessed with the right skills to decipher a message, then there is not reason not to take a crack at it.

The second reason would have to be because of curiosity. Humans are naturally curious. Everyone has had that “But what if?” thought cross their mind more than a dozen times when choices were made. What if Cinderella had not lost that shoe? Or Snow White ate that apple? What if I stumble on the treasure by sheer luck, ignorant to revealing the ciphers? What if I have the mental capacity to decipher the ciphers and just need a few days, weeks, or months longer? The question can also tie into the last point: “What if I become rich?”

Now the two reasons can obviously go hand in hand, but the money reason would be the most logical. The world revolves around money, and who wouldn’t want more of it? Even if it may takes years to get it, it would pay off for somebody.