Final answer:
The rioters in 'The Pardoner's Tale' discover gold under an oak tree, leading all three to betrayal and destructive schemes driven by greed.
Step-by-step explanation:
In The Pardoner's Tale, the rioters find gold under an oak tree. The tale is a moral story about greed and its consequences, part of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Upon discovering the treasure, the two older rioters and the youngest each plot to kill the others to have the gold for themselves. The two older rioters decide to kill the youngest by stabbing him when he returns from town. Simultaneously, the youngest rioter schemes to poison the wine of the older ones to secure the treasure just for himself.
The thought process of the rioters clearly demonstrates the corrupting influence of greed, as each abandons moral integrity and companionship in pursuit of personal gain, reflective of the central themes in The Pardoner's Tale.