Editing The Beggar's Opera (section)

===Act 1===

Peachum, a [[Fence (criminal)|fence]] and thief-catcher, justifies his actions.<ref>His dark song of self-justification is the only song that appears in both ''The Beggar's Opera'' and ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'' (as "Morgenchoral des Peachum"). The lyrics in the latter version are very different, but the melody and the position of the song in the libretto are retained.</ref> Mrs Peachum, overhearing her husband's blacklisting of unproductive thieves, protests regarding one of them: Bob Booty (the nickname of [[Robert Walpole]]). The Peachums discover that Polly, their daughter, has secretly married Macheath, the famous [[highwayman]], who is Peachum's principal client. Upset to learn they will no longer be able to use Polly in their business, Peachum and his wife ask how Polly will support such a husband "in Gaming, Drinking and Whoring." Nevertheless, they conclude that the match may be more profitable to the Peachums if the husband can be killed for his money. They leave to carry out this errand. However, Polly has hidden Macheath.