Many people in the world are pretenders and liars. Even in the early stages of life many children pretend to be a distinguishable figure. Whether it's a princess or a superhero, these children create false images of themselves to feel important or confident. While everyone has their own reason for doing such a thing, many do it for their own personal gain. Countless people can relate to this (including myself) because many have told lies or pretended to be something they are not multiple times in their lives. Even as adults, people continue to lie and pretend. They not only create false statements to build images for themselves, but they create images in which they can look positively. Whether it is to win a woman's heart, make good friends or even get revenge, lying is used for personal gain everywhere in the world. Brock Clarke once said, “Sometimes the lies you tell are less scary than the loneliness you might feel if you stopped telling them.” The lies that are told serve to create false images to obtain security and a completely new life. These lies improve self-esteem and make people feel more important than they really are. Without lies, people would feel alone, unimportant, and even boring because they would continue to live a boring, normal life. With lies, people build walls of trust and live with integrity, without fear of isolation and abandonment in the world. Three examples of literature in which lying is used for personal gain are Oscar Wilde's “The Importance of Being Earnest,” F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. Even though these books contain examples of liars, each character uses lying for different intents to feel good about themselves because it is disguised as lies. Characters such as Jack Worthing, Algernon Moncrieff, Jay Gatsby, and Edmond Dantes have all lied for various reasons. They avoid loneliness by using lies to create false images. Whether it was for friends, love, social status, or revenge, each character committed the sinful act of lying to create false images and achieve their goals. Without lies, each character would be alone and helpless in the world. Brock Clarke once said, “Sometimes the lies you tell are less scary than the loneliness you might feel if you stopped telling them.” Many people, young and old, can relate to this quote because they have told lies or pretended to be something they are not. The truth is that many are afraid of being alone in this big world. People tell lies to make themselves feel bigger and more important than they really are.