Harry Snoopnagle

Harry Snoopnagle is the Forsithe family's nosy neighbor in Whit's tale The Tangled Web. After Jeremy invents a story about being robbed, Harry arrives before the police and eagerly treats the frightened boy like the center of a major criminal investigation. He boasts about lessons from his private detective school and relies on the familiar questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how. Harry also spreads news that Jeremy fought off an attacker, helping the small lie become a townwide sensation reaching the mayor's office. His comic enthusiasm makes the situation harder for Jeremy to correct. Every new detail and public compliment tightens the web created by the boy's first dishonest answer.