The Silence of the Lambs Manipulation Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Silence of the Lambs.

Quote #7

CRAWFORD: If I had sent you in there with an actual agenda, Lecter would have known it instantly. He would have toyed with you, and then turned to stone.

This quote references the first one in this section, and what we said about Crawford manipulating Starling too. He keeps her in the dark, and says it's for her own good. Is he right to do this, or is he not giving her enough credit?

Quote #8

LECTER: Quid pro quo. I tell you things, you tell me things. […] Quid pro quo. Yes or no?

Here we have Lecter's ultimate manipulation. Clarice is told not to let Lecter inside her head, but now she must, or else he won't help her. It's a power play. Lecter removes any power Clarice might have, and he finds out things that he could use against her. But by this point, he likes her, and it's a good thing too. Or else he could use these facts to destroy her.