How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Maltese Falcon.
Quote #7
GUTMAN: Seventeen years I've wanted that little item, and have been trying to get it. If we must spend another year on the quest...
In cartoons, when someone is hit in the head, they see little birds spinning around their skull. Gutman probably sees the Maltese Falcon spinning around every time he closes his eyes. His entire life is devoted to the quest for the bird. We think he might be okay with not finding it yet, because that means his life still has a purpose. What will he do with himself when his greedy quest is over?
Quote #8
BRIGID: Would you have done this if the Falcon had been real and you got your money?
SPADE: Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be.
Brigid is in it for money. Gutman is in it for money. Cairo is in it for money. Thursby was probably in it for money. These are Brigid's closest allies/enemies, so she assumes that money is also Spade's primary motivation, but he tells her that it isn't. Do you believe him? Since he turns her in, and turns down Gutman's offer to go after the bird, we think he's telling the truth.
Quote #9
SPADE: The stuff that dreams are made of.
The greedy quest for the Falcon reminds us of another Bogart film: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. In both, greed gets the better of people and forces them to do terrible things. This last line of the movie is how Spade describes the Falcon. It may seem like the dream, but in reality, it's a nightmare.