How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He'd given this man, a stranger, the benefit of the doubt. He'd presumed he was innocent; the kind of mistake a novice might make. (2.5.1)
In Soviet Russia, innocence presumes you. This is actually pretty crazy, when you think about it: all you have to do is be questioned about a crime to be considered a chief suspect. If you were so innocent, then why did you get involved in the first place, huh? Huh? You weren't involved, you say? Then why are you being questioned?
Quote #2
The judicial system could be bypassed entirely. Leo had heard of prisoners who lay abandoned for weeks and doctors who served no other purpose than the study of pain. (2.7.3)
Yikes. This place seems more like a medieval torture chamber than a modern prison, with every aspect of the facility designed to inflict as much pain as possible. Here's the crazier part: most of the people being tortured are innocent of their crimes. It's a lot easier to arrest an innocent man than to search for a guilty one, after all.
Quote #3
"You took justice into your own hands. That is not acceptable. That is never acceptable." (2.7.32)
This is the point in every cop movie when the chief makes the hero turn in his badge and gun. Jokes aside, this exchange shows that for the MGB, following orders is more important than finding the truth.