HK is a great novel, highly critical of the conventional morality of the Tom Sawyers of the world: Tom believed in following the rules to the letter, keeping appearances, but didn't care at all that his adventures hurt Jim, while Huck thought the most important thing was to treat Huck as a fellow human being. It's an anti-racist (and anti-slavery) novel.
I think that the book clarifies my vision of ethics. "Tom Sawyer" ethics is the stuff that comes from above, with some patriarch climbing up a mountain and coming down with tablets that state the categorical imperative, etc. People salute these ethics and then act hypocritically, violating the letter and spirit of the Law.
On the other hand, "Huck Finn" ethics comes from below, from within the human psyche (though it might be formalized so that people can deal with differences of interpretation, etc.) It's based in the inherent human possibility of being empathic, caring, benefiting from helping others, etc. It's the morality that actually allows us to be more complete human beings (self-actualizing) rather than telling us what to do all the time. It's a kind of morality that capitalism discourages.
Jim Devine jdevine at popmail.lmu.edu & http://clawww.lmu.edu/Departments/ECON/jdevine.html "Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime." -- Aristotle