How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Chinatown.
Quote #4
GITTES: It was in Chinatown.
EVELYN: What were you doing there?
GITTES: Working for the District Attorney.
EVELYN: Doing what?
GITTES: As little as possible.
Jake did as little as possible in Chinatown because he didn't want to mess anything up. He didn't know what was going on there, and figured (apparently, rightly) that if he tried to meddle he would end up falling into the criminals' own designs.
Quote #5
CROSS: 'Course I'm respectable, I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.
Cross's respectability is, ironically, a product of his ruthlessness. He's survived for so long by being ruthless—and that longevity has made him respectable.
Quote #6
CROSS: What does it mean?
GITTES: That you killed Hollis Mulwray—right here—in that pond. You drowned him, and you left these (holds up the bifocals). Coroner's report shows Mulwray had saltwater in his lungs.
CROSS: You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and right place, they're capable of anything.
Cross is justifying his own acts of murder and incest. He has no shame or guilt about anything, and views his actions as a product of the conditions he's under. He's a hollow man with no real moral center.