How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Rear Window.
Quote #1
LISA: A murderer would never parade his crime in front of an open window.
JEFF: Why not?
LISA: Why, for all you know, there's probably something a lot more sinister going on behind those windows.
JEFF: Where? Oh, no comment.
Jeff has been watching more than Thorwald, and through him, we can see the details of the whole neighborhood emerge. Maybe this makes him a strange champion of the community since only he is pulling those threads together.
Quote #2
STELLA: I can see you now, in front of the judge, flanked by lawyers in blue double-breasted suits. You're pleading, "Judge, it was only innocent fun. I love my neighbors like a father." The judge answers, "Congratulations. You just gave birth to three years in Dannemora."
Always the voice of common sense, Stella pulls no punches in telling Jeff that what he's doing could land him in jail. Dannemora is the home of New York's Clinton Correctional Facility. Actually, Jeff's actions likely aren't illegal, but Stella is trying to make a point. (FYI, many "peeping Tom" laws require that something be recorded for it to be illegal. )
Quote #3
LISA: That's what is known as "manless melancholia."
JEFF: Miss Lonelyhearts. At least that's something you'll never have to worry about.
Lisa and Jeff aren't unsympathetic to neighbors who deserve sympathy, and while it's not cool to judge the way they do, you can see some neighborly concern here. At least they feel bad for Miss Lonelyhearts and want her to do well.