Quote 19
"I've got ten thousand dollars of your money to play with. I'm going to use it opening Poisonville up from Adam's apple to ankles." (7.88)
The Op triumphantly reminds Elihu that he's going to use all of Elihu's money to stir things up in Poisonville. Although the Op doesn't keep the money for himself personally, he does need to have access to it in order to complete his mission, which suggests that money has a powerful grip over everyone in the community.
Quote 20
"I win myself six hundred iron men. […] And then I lose myself that and my own two hundred and some in a crap game. What do you think of that? I pick up six hundred berries like shooting fish, and have to bum four bits for breakfast."
I said it was a tough break but that was the kind of world we lived in. (12.12)
MacSwain tries his hand at gambling and loses all he has. It makes us scratch our head over why gambling is so appealing, especially for those have more to lose. And the only real thing that seems to separate the criminals from the heroes is who gets the lucky break.
Quote 21
"Every time I mention killing, you jump on me. You're a woman. You think if nothing's said about it, maybe none of the God only knows how many people in town who might want to will kill you. That's silly." (20.70)
The Op uses a slightly misogynistic, infantilizing tone towards Dinah when she admits to being scared that Whisper is out to kill her. The Op seems to think that because she's a woman, she's acting jittery and flighty. But Dinah's fears weren't at all unfounded because later that night she is brutally murdered.