Daniel Burnham- Values and beliefs that stuck out to me about Burnham early was definitely his status. On page 21 Burnham states,”my idea is to work up a big business, too handle big things, to deal with big business men, and to build up a big organization, for you can’t handle big things unless you have an organization.” This stood out to me because he was very set that in order to be anything in life or to be successful you had to be a big business man and be somebody who is important and big in status. Burnham also took great pride in how things looked and would admire small details just like those items in ship (Olympic).

John Root- Although Root and Burnham were very close allies I feel as though they were very different and that’s what made them work together so well. John Root valued innovation and creativity. Burnham even said that he was “their design engine…. and a faraway look would come into his eyes, and the building was there before him–every stone.” He was able just to see and area and imagine in his and exactly what the building was going to look like and every detail of that design. Burnham was definitely one who could handle the business side and Root could handle the design. Both men complimented each other very well.

H. H. Holmes- He valued power more than anything. He was able to find weak and helpless women many who are leaving the comfort of home for the first time and he could control them. He was very good and successful at manipulating others for his own selfish reasons. On page 73, Holmes tells Strowers a lady who did his laundry he would give here 6,000 dollars to name him as his beneficiary, when she asked him why he said he would make 4,000 dollars in profit and she would have 6,000 dollars to spend in the meantime. Later on in the paragraph it talks about him when she was going to accept the offer he whispers in her softly don’t be afraid of me (pg 73). This terrified her and this was a perfect example of how Holmes was. He had the money to persuade and women to name him as her beneficiary just so he could make money when he killed her and she got to live happy for her remaining time.

This book has been very intriguing to me to say the least. As I have started reading I really believe that biggest issue that is going on in the United States is corruption. Everything was changing so fast skyscrapers were being built cities were growing and everybody wanted to be the best and whatever it took to get there. Cities were fighting to see who could be more impressive and build the grandest of buildings. Political beliefs really just relied on more about who you knew with such buildings just being thrown up without any really proposed planning. Things were happening so fast people were being introduced to so many different ideas. Some being grand and others being a little more sinister. So many were working on being the best that they would do whatever it takes at any costs.

I feel as though having the two stories come together really helped the book keep going. I really felt as though Holmes was the perfect example of what kind of issues were being created. Holmes lacked many ethics and found that he could prey on the others. As the fair was being brought to Chicago so were a lot of people were coming as well. Which allowed him to hide all of his wrong doings because people would be concerned with something else.