She grew up off the scraps that these dealers would throw her out of pity or disgust. She learned pick pocketing at six. She completed her first successful scam at eight. Your character is an undercover agent assigned to find her and try to recruit her.
There is something in men that echoes of the wild nurturing instinct women are known for. It is not a strong or pervasive, but when it manifests. it is a beautiful, fearsome thing.