I Didnt Know That Was Stealing! was written to provide insight for teachers and students, whether doer or victim, into the unsuitable actions that center on stealing something of value legitimately belonging to others, i.e. intangibles rather than objects or money. Those intangibles may be undisrupted study time, cheating or copying test answers, respect for teachers and authority, the theft of a persons peace and dignity by bullying, etc.

The storys object lesson is that self centered actions which negatively affect the quality of education or life of other students are akin to the theft of items a student would see as valuable. Most children understand that stealing is unacceptable, knowing someone or having experienced the pain, loss, and anger of having been stolen from themselves. Those feelings provide the opening for their understanding of the concept portrayed in I Didnt Know That Was Stealing!
I Didnt Know That Was Stealing! is meant to create a venue for awareness, discussion, remediation, and reinforcement of considerate, respectful behavior by students toward their classmates.