A chain letter is a message that tries to cause the person who gets it to make copies of the letter and then pass them on to as many people as possible. A chain letter can be a type of meme. Common ways used in chain letters include stories that make the recipient feel sorry for the person, get-rich-quick pyramid schemes, and the use of superstition to threaten the recipient with bad luck, physical violence or death if he or she "breaks the chain" and does not follow the instructions given in the letter.