Deformed Consciences

There are potentially many influences that could have possibly deformed Huck's conscience, but the one that sticks out the most is Tom Sawyer. Constantly getting into trouble, Tom has a somewhat negative affect on Huck. For example, Huck wants to free Jim, but he wants to do it as fast as possible without the chance of getting caught. Tom on the other hand, wants to use case-knives instead of shovels. My point is, he is always trying to get "style points" for everything he does. He wants to be noticed and recognized for his accomplishments or achievements. Why do we feel the need to be recognized or reimbursed for the things we do?
I feel that there are still negative influences out in the world today. A few negative influences of today, in my opinion, are women like Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears. Girls at the age of 10 look up to them and see how they party and get pregnant, so they think it is OK to do the same. Not only that, but girls are viciously beating each other just to get some recognition on MySpace.
On the same breath, there are positive influences out there too. Professional athletes, for example, CAN be positive influences. Most of them have worked extremely hard to get where they are today. They aren't necessarily concerned about what they do as an individual, but how they do as a team. However, some athletes seem to be more concerned about themselves than their teams.
Don't only work hard to get what you want, also do what's right. Huck and Tom trying to free Jim is a good example of doing what is right. They know that slavary is wrong, so they are trying to make a difference by letting Jim go. It's people that do the right thing that we need to look up to.