How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"You do what you want, but if I were you I'd tell Sid the truth or nothing. I mean leave out the parts you don't want to tell him, but don't make up anything to take its place."
"I'm not lying to you, Sam," she protested.
"Like hell you're not," he said and stood up. (11.29)
Spade's mistrust is raising its ugly head again in this scene with Iva. He clearly doesn't believe Iva's story that she was at home the night Miles was killed. His advice to Iva is also worth taking note of because he's okay with her omitting facts. What he's not okay with would be if she made things up to replace the truth. How is omitting facts any different from outright lying?
Quote #8
"I do like a man that tells you right out he's looking out for himself. Don't we all? I don't trust a man that says he's not." (11.65)
Gutman is a skilled manipulator, but he's honest about his motives and appears to appreciate Spade's honesty. In a way, Gutman even seems to trust Spade. Spade of course doesn't trust Gutman at all, but he's less suspicious of Gutman's motives because at least he's upfront about them.
Quote #9
"Everybody," Spade responded mildly, "has something to conceal." (15.66)
Spade's mistrust stems from the simple fact that he believes everyone is hiding something. Even Spade himself is hiding information from the police about his affair with Iva. Are there any characters in the novels that aren't hiding anything?