when the prince first tells John Canty that he is the Prince of Wales and not Tom, John’s son, John believes that the prince has gone mad. John states this very clearly at the very end of Chapter IVThere, John says that the prince has “gone stark mad as any Tom o’ Bedlam!” He then goes on to tell the prince that he would beat him for not getting any money by begging, “mad or no mad.” Clearly John does not believe that the prince is really the prince. Instead, he thinks that the prince is really his own son Tom, but that Tom has gone crazy. hope this helps you
