The Maltese Falcon Themes
Loyalty
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 sou...
Lies and Deceit
A detective's job is sniffing out lies. Anyone could be lying to him at any time—his partner, the person he's investigating, or even his client. Sam Spade of The Maltese Falcon has a pretty good...
Greed
The Maltese Falcon is the Tickle Me Elmo of the 1940s. Certain people will trample you, sell you out, or set a cargo ship on fire to get their grubby mitts on it. The difference between the Falcon...
Criminality
It's appropriate that The Maltese Falcon is in black and white, because Detective Sam Spade lives in the wide gray area between legality and criminality. He isn't a virtuous detective like the pie...