Scipio in The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

This book is about a group of kids who live in an abandoned movie theater in Venice, Italy.  Their leader is Scipio, who calls himself the Thief Lord.  He breaks into fancy houses and steals valuable things and then sells them to Barbarosa, the owner of a pawn shop. All the money he earns go to food, clothing and other things for the kids who live in the movie theater, Prosper, Bo, Mosca, Riccio, and Hornet.

The five children don't know where Scipio lives, how he breaks into houses, or anything about his past.  They are just grateful that he takes care of them.  Scipio is very secretive and sneaky.  Bo, the youngest one, sees Scipio as a hero, someone who he aspires to be. But towards the end, the children find out that everything Scipio has told them is a lie.  They find out that Scipio was not a runaway from the orphanage, he lived in a large mansion.  Everything he stole was just things he had taken from his own house.

When the other children find out that Scipio was lying the whole time, a lot of conflict is created.  Riccio even decides that he won't talk to Scipio.

In the beginning Scipio is considered a generous hero who is taking care of 5 run away kids.  But later, he is considered a liar.  Scipio's characterization changed a lot throughout the story.