Imagine someone who you thought was your most trusted friend using you for personal gain and then betraying you by denying knowing you when you are in your greatest moment of need. This is a not rare occurrence for some people and it may even be occurring currently in their life without them knowing it so it is important to pick friends carefully and let your guard down slowly. People hide behind an innocent reputation for many different reasons including materialistic gain, retaining a higher social status, and building respect. 

People may hide their character behind a false reputation for materialistic gain. One materialistic value that people have gone for is money, gold or another type of currency. This happens when people, hiding behind a false reputation to gain the trust of others, abuse the trust now placed in them and steal the money of those in their life. Another materialistic value that people have used a false reputation to gain is someone's property. One way that this occurs is when people help sick terminal patients and trick them into giving them all of their property in their will. These are only two of the many ways that people may hide their character behind a false reputation for their own materialistic gain. 

The second reason that people may hide their character behind a false reputation is to gain a higher social status or to gain respect. Gathering social status might happen if someone is tricked into furthering others' job title or rank in their career, at the price of their own job title or rank. An example of that is a “trusted friend” may start a rumor about someone to push themself ahead, by pushing the other person behind in the chances to get a promotion in their job. Another reason that people might hide their character behind a false reputation is to gain more respect from others and keep their reputation innocent. This would happen when someone shows others a fake, “nicer” side of themselves, including actions for an ulterior motive, to gain others’ respect and friendship. By doing that, they would keep an innocent reputation all while waiting for the right time to take advantage of everyone else. A higher social status and gaining respect are two of seemingly endless reasons why people may hide their character behind a false reputation.

There are some people who might claim that “There is no way that the people they trust the most could trick them like that”. The flaw in that statement is that, that is exactly what people, who are trying to get something from others, want them to believe. When they believe that that could never happen to them, they are at their most vulnerable because they have their guard down. Most people that get taken advantage of never see it coming from the people they trust the most due to their own ignorance. 

There are people in everyone’s life who may have a deceitful character hiding behind an innocent reputation. Nothing feels worse than someone who you thought was your most trusted friend using you, and then stabbing you in the back by denying knowing you when you are at your lowest . This is why it is very important to pick the people you trust and let your guard down very carefully.