If Peachum symbolizes the persona of Walpole then Macheath and his gang of highway robbers are likened to the aristocracy and are imbued with dignity, morality and loyalty - qualities that the nobility are supposed to possess (Lewis, 1976, pp43-45). For example, at the beginning of Scene 3 Act IV we see Macheath sharing his ill gained fortune with fellow members of his gang to help the latter through a period of financial hardship. In doing so Macheath places friendship and allegiance above selfish profit. Macheath goes on to state (Air 44) that you would never find such camaraderie and loyalty amongst the nobility in the King's Court where people only befriend one another when it is profitable:.
The modes of the court so common are grown,.
That a true friend can hardly be met;.
Friendship for interest is but a loan.
Which they let out for what they can get.
It is clear from the above example that Gay has quite brilliantly inverted British Eighteenth Century society by placing the common criminals atop the social ladder and infused them with aristocratic qualities whilst the nobility wallow at the bottom acting as we would expect thieves to behave (Loftis, 1975, pp46-47). Such inversion again allows Gay to highlight the fact that members of the nobility are no better than their less wealthy counterparts and are therefore undeserving of the respect and trust afforded them by the rest of society.
Of course it is not just the political and aristocratic elite that comes under sharp criticism in The Beggar's Opera. As Lewis in his excellent book convincingly reveals, Gay also makes some very caustic comments about middle class bureaucracy and the seemingly reputable world of business and commerce. Lockit, for instance, has all the mannerisms associated with officials holding public office: he runs a well-ordered establishment (prison), adheres to custom, possesses a superficially polite and impartial manner and appears outwardly respectable.
