How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
THEN: MRS. HARMON rushes from the house, looks desperately around, and moves quickly down the street. She gets almost to the corner, then stops, realizing she doesn't know where STEVE is being taken. (10.53)
Why did the detectives leave without waiting for Mrs. Harmon? Again, we detect a hint of racism. Taking a parent's child away without them—particularly after they've made it clear they intend to come along—is intensely disrespectful. Do you think a white woman living behind a picket fence in the suburbs would have been disregarded so readily by the cops?
Quote #8
"I'm not guilty," I said to her.
"You should have said, 'I didn't do it,'" she said.
"I didn't do it," I said. (13.6-8)
At some points, it seems that Steve did commit the crime but still believes in his innocence. At other points, it seems that he didn't commit the crime at all. According to O'Brien, these are very different stands to make.
Quote #9
He said he wasn't guilty because he hadn't taken anything out of the store. He didn't even have a gun, just his hand in his pocket like he had a gun. (13.16)
Although he was caught red-handed, Ernie believes justice should only take effect when the crime is successfully completed. We're getting flashes of Minority Report right about now.