Despite his upbringing, at the start of the film, Aladdin was a generally optimistic, fun-loving, and charming character. Though he was forced to steal for survival, he showed joy in escaping the brutish guards, alongside his sidekick Abu, and showed an attempt to find enjoyment in the struggles of his day-to-day life. Nevertheless, though he did not mind stealing from the marketplace denizens, albeit forcibly so, Aladdin was, in no way, a selfish character. Not only were the thefts for survival, as mentioned before, but Aladdin was also never above sacrificing his food for the less fortunate of Agrabah, such as starving children. This is an example of Aladdin's selflessness, which was showcased several times throughout the film, specifically for the sake of Jasmine, and most notably, during the finale, Genie. This trait was also carried over to the further stories of the franchise, such as The Return to Jafar, where the street rat is shown to commonly rob lairs of thieves and donate the stolen jewels and riches to Agrabah's less fortunate citizens. There are lines he will never cross, as shown in "Seems Like Old Crimes", where it is revealed he was once part of a pickpocket gang, but he then discovered that someone he pickpocketed from was the father of a poor family. Ashamed by what he had done, he returned the stolen money and cut ties with the gang.