How we cite our quotes: (Book.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"My mother's eighty-one. She doesn't get around as easily as she once did. A year ago she fell and broke her hip, and since then I've been concerned about her. I asked her to have some security cameras installed, so I could access them on a closet circuit, but she refused. But now I have peace of mind. Last weekend, while she was napping—"
A wave of laughter rippled through the audience.
"Forgive me! Forgive me!" he said, "I had no choice. She wouldn't have let me do it otherwise." (1.8.72-74)
Recording someone on video cameras without that person's consent? Displaying those live feeds to a crowd of 10,000 employees? Justifying your actions by claiming to have had no choice? We gotta say, Eamon Bailey—these don't sound like very moral or ethical behaviors to us.
Quote #2
Mae continued on, away from shore. She set a goal to make it to a red buoy she spotted, near the bend of a peninsula, deep in the bay. Getting to it would take thirty minutes or so, and en route, she would pass a few dozen anchored barges and sailboats. Many had been made into homes of one kind or another, and she knew not to look into the windows, but she couldn't help it; there were mysteries aboard. (1.10.14)
"Not being able to help it" seems to be a recurring theme among those who work at the Circle. Curiosity isn't always a virtue, but it doesn't look like any of them got the memo.
Quote #3
Mae drove back to the coast, her body shaking with rage. They had no right to do that, to summon her home and then cast her out. She didn't want to smell his s***! She would help, yes, any time she was asked, but not if they treated her that way. (1.21.1)
A key to ethical behavior is recognizing and respecting both the dignity and the rights of those around you. This is just one of the episodes in The Circle when a Circler's self-absorption inspires that person to deny the rights and dignities of others.