Frank Abagnale is one of three siblings, originally from a middle-class family in Bronxville, New York. He significantly notes that he comes from a broken home, one fractured by the departure of his mother. Young Abagnale moves in with his father and matures quickly in the company of his father’s hard-drinking political compatriots. Abagnale’s world-wise manner augments an already sophisticated appearance, making him seem much older than his years. Abagnale uses this to his advantage in his schemes and is able to pass for an experienced professional at the age of seventeen.

Abagnale notes that his psychological profile does not fit that of a hardened criminal. In fact, beyond his illegal activities, he has relatively few vices, declining both alcohol and drugs. The disguises he dons are wholesome and aspirational: a co-pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, and a sociology professor. Though Abagnale repeatedly insists that he never loses track of who he really is, he finds great satisfaction in playing a role to perfection and deliberately selecting roles that mirror his ideal self-image. In keeping with this major theme, Abagnale’s narrative in Catch Me If You Can begins with the line, “A man’s alter ego is nothing more than his favorite image of himself” (1).