A private detective's business exists in a tricky paradox. He has to earn the loyalty of his clients, but his clients also have to earn his trust. He has to form alliances and partnerships with sources, but these same sources (who are usually criminals of some sort) could sell him out at a moment's notice. Even his own clients might be trying to take advantage of him.
In the dark world of film noir, anyone's loyalty is up for sale. No wonder most of The Maltese Falcon takes place at night. We wouldn't be able to sleep either, if we always had to watch our backs.
Questions about Loyalty
- Why does Spade agree to help Brigid, even though she is clearly untrustworthy? What is it about her that convinces him to stay loyal to her, instead of Gutman, up until the end when he turns her in? What changes his mind? Why does he turn her in?
- Why does Gutman agree to sell out Wilmer? How does this make Wilmer feel?
- Why does Cairo side with Gutman? What does he gain by allying himself with Gutman over Brigid?
- Can Spade be considered loyal to his partner if he was having an affair with his wife? Or if he scraped his name off the windows as soon as he was dead? How would you describe their relationship?
Chew on This
Brigid feels betrayed by Spade (there's a good fan fic title for you) in the end, but she never had his loyalty to begin with. He only tricked her into thinking that she did.
The only people in the movie who are truly loyal to one another are Spade and Effie. He always puts his career first, and she is critical to his job.