Villains who partake in the act of Burglary are a specific type of thief that break into the homes of victims to steal valuables; usually, this is done when the victim is either away or preoccupied, but some rarer examples will have burglars raid a home (this is known as a home invasion and is often very violent and distressing).

Burglary is prosecuted as a felony or misdemeanor and involves trespassing and theft, entering a building or automobile, or loitering unlawfully with intent to commit any crime, not necessarily a theft (for example, vandalism). Even if nothing is stolen in a burglary, the act is a statutory offense. Buildings can include sheds, barns and coops; burglary of boats, aircraft, trucks, and railway cars is also possible.

Burglary may be an element in crimes involving murders, rape, kidnapping, identity theft, or violation of civil rights; indeed the "plumbers" of the Watergate scandal were technically burglars. As with all legal definitions in the U.S., the foregoing description may be inapplicable in every jurisdiction, since there are 50 separate state criminal codes, plus Federal and territorial codes in force.