Idiom: villain of the piece

[Wullpe]

Test No. incompl/inter-58 "Lots of Pieces", question 3

Because when the ......... of the piece arrived in the shape of a burglar to steal something, he didn't find anything valuable.

(a) villain
(b) peasant
(c) evil
(d) devil

Test No. incompl/inter-58 "Lots of Pieces", answer 3

Because when the villain of the piece arrived in the shape of a burglar to steal something, he didn't find anything valuable.

Correct answer: (a) villain

Your answer was: incorrect
Because when the evil of the piece arrived in the shape of a burglar to steal something, he didn't find anything valuable.
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what's the villain of the piece? I know villain means burglar or a thief...is villain used for only one type of crime?? like peter claimer for trains?

[Mister Micawber]

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Villain is a general word for evil-doer, or the bad guy in a story, book or movie. Here, piece means the story, book, movie or other medium.
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber