I will live in a world I can control because I'm the one in charge of what's true and false. Stealing comes from a child's belief that no one can meet his needs but him. It takes trust and vulnerability to ask for what he wants and needs from his adoptive parents. Instead, an adopted child may simply take it. Stealing can be a behavior that also satisfies a child's desperate need for control over others.
Hoarding is a related behavior.
Having lost their most important connection once, adopted children may respond by hiding stashes of candy, food or other objects they think will keep them safe. With those losses in mind, they can obsessively cling to their new possessions like little misers. Hoarding also gives them a feeling of power and control - the bag of candy or box of food they've hidden is something the world can't take away. Poor Eye Contact - Think about that successful interview for a job you landed because you made good eye contact and communicated that you are trustworthy, competent, dependable, worth getting to know. Our kids may have a hard time with eye contact because they don't believe all those things about themselves.