How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"And you know I'd never have placed myself in this position if I hadn't trusted you completely."
[…]Spade said: "That again!" with mock resignation.
"But you know it's so," she insisted.
"No, I don't know it. […] My asking for reasons why I should trust you brought us here. Don't let's confuse things. You don't have to trust me, anyhow, as long as you can persuade me to trust you." (7.19)
In this scene, we're dealing more with the question of trust, which is closely linked to loyalty. Spade explains to Brigid that he can't offer her his loyalty unless he trusts her. Is it possible to be loyal to someone without fully trusting them? Is loyalty the same as having blind faith in someone?
Quote #5
"You know I'm willing to go all the way with you all the time." Luke pushed his coffee back, put his elbows on the table, and screwed his eyes at Spade. "But I got a hunch you ain't going all the way with me. What's the honest-to-God on this guy, Sam? You don't have to kick back on me. You know I'm regular." (14.48)
Luke appeals to Spade's sense of honor by asking him to be on the level with him. Luke has always been loyal to Spade and gives him whatever information he asks for, so we think it's only fair that Luke would want the same kind of honesty and loyalty in return.
Quote #6
"But, my dear man," Gutman objected, "can't you see? If I even for a moment thought of doing it—But that's ridiculous too. I feel towards Wilmer exactly as if he were my own son. I really do. But if I even for a moment thought of doing what you propose, what in the world do you think would keep Wilmer from telling the police every last detail about the falcon and all of us?" (18.43)
Gutman claims here to care about Wilmer as if he were his own son, but we know that Gutman is only concerned about the falcon. When Gutman argues that Wilmer might betray all of them to the police, Spade suggests that there's one easy way to fix that: kill Wilmer to prevent him from talking. Is Spade bluffing here to get the bad guys to turn on each other, or is he actually advocating violence?