Moist sets his own safety aside and runs into the burning building to rescue Stanley Howler. Moist confesses his past misdeeds to Adora Belle just as the post office is set afire.
These feelings are heightened when he discovers that Adora Belle's father, Robert Dearheart, was indirectly a victim of one of his cons, and as a result lost ownership of his invention, the Clacks. While staying in the post office Moist begins to experience visions which show him that some of his confidence tricks led to tragedies for those he conned, which result in him having feelings of remorse for the first time. His skills prove to be useful in making the post office popular again, both when he invents the postage stamp in an attempt to raise money (which proves to be highly successful), and when he starts an express post service to neighbouring cities.
There he meets Adora Belle Dearheart for whom he begins to develop feelings. Initially Moist attempts to escape his duty, but realises that he cannot get away without overcoming Mr Pump, so he goes to the Golem Trust to help understand how golems are created and controlled. Moist learns that the post office has been superseded by semaphore towers known as "Clacks" which send messages using light signals which are faster than sending letters by post and owned by the unscrupulous Reacher Gilt. Moist immediately attempts to escape but is caught by his parole officer Mr Pump, a golem, and brought to the rundown post office where he meets his two staff: Junior Postman Tolliver Groat and his assistant, the pin-obsessed Stanley Howler. He gives Moist the choice to either become the new Postmaster or be executed by falling down a deep pit. He is brought before Patrician Havelock Vetinari who likens himself to an angel, offering Moist a change of life. After a brief spell in prison he is hanged by the neck, but not killed. After years of undertaking confidence tricks Moist von Lipwig is caught by the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, and is sentenced to death under his current alias Albert Spangler.