I asked Dill where his father was: "You ain't said anything about him." "I haven't got one." "Is he dead?" "No." "Then if he's not dead, you've got one, haven't you?"

I asked Dill where his father was: “You ain’t said anything about him.”
“I haven’t got one.”
“Is he dead?”
“No.”
“Then if he’s not dead, you’ve got one, haven’t you?”
Dill blushed and Jem told me to hush, a sure sign that Dill had been studied and found acceptable.

– Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 1. Neglected by his parents, Dill makes up outlandish lies to impress Jem and Scout. Like lying about his father being dead.

Harper Lee Quotes