He cared not for any turmoil or self-awareness, he just wanted whatever the good fellow had that he could steal/con out of.

"Ruffians, good sir. They waylaid me and left me nothing! My dear coins, my beloved brass trophy, my grandmother's oak box--all gone!"

Yes, that's right, lay on the dramatics.

"Sadly I couldn't make a good citizen's arrest. You see...my missing tail has made moving extremely difficult."