In Alger's books real boys are seen doing honest things and being successful. Helping Himself begins with Deacon Gridley who was a farmer. Gridley had managed to save a little money. His thriftiness meant that he had also hoarded all of the interest. Here our young hero enters the tale.
Horatio Alger Jr. ; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American writer, best known for his many young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)