How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I’ll take ham and eggs," the man called Al said. He wore a derby hat and a black overcoat buttoned across the chest. His face was small and white and he had tight lips. He wore a silk muffler and gloves. (20)
This is the portrait that Hemingway paints of criminality; there’s a sort of cliché to the black overcoat and derby hat.
Quote #2
"Give me bacon and eggs," said the other man. He was about the same size as Al. Their faces were different, but they were dressed like twins. Both wore overcoats too tight for them. They sat leaning forward, their elbows on the counter. (21)
The men are made identical by their criminal status. Because criminals are defined simply by what they do, there is little difference between criminal A and criminal B.
Quote #3
"Just a bright boy," Max said. He leaned forward and took the ham and eggs. Both men ate with their gloves on. George watched them eat. (46)
Before we know for sure that Max and Al are killers, we get little hints. Here, for example, they eat with their gloves on (presumably to avoid leaving fingerprints at the scene of the crime).
Quote #4
"I can hear you, all right," Al said from the kitchen. He had propped open the slit that dishes passed through into the kitchen with a catsup bottle. "Listen, bright boy," he said from the kitchen to George. "Stand a little further along the bar. You move a little to the left, Max." He was like a photographer arranging for a group picture. (89)
Here’s another hint: now that we know for sure that something is up with these guys, we get hints as to what that "something" may be.
Quote #5
"We know all that, bright boy," Max said. "Talk about something else. Ever go to the movies?" (98)
Actually, now that Max mentions it, Hemingway’s portrayal of the killers is a lot like something out of the movies.
Quote #6
"He knew I’d blow his head off," Al said from the kitchen.
"No," said Max. "It ain’t that. Bright boy is nice. He’s a nice boy. I like him." (121-2)
Now we see that, despite their shared occupation, Al and Max are in fact different. Of course, that’s only if you take Max’s line as genuine. If you think it’s sarcastic, this doesn’t really hold water.
Quote #7
"You talk too much, all the same," Al said. He came out from the kitchen. The cut-off barrels of the shotgun made a slight bulge under the waist of his too tight-fitting overcoat. He straightened his coat with his gloved hands. (140)
Al is portrayed as the more hardened criminal, while Max seems more relatable.
Quote #8
The two of them went out the door. George watched them, through the window, pass under the arc-light and across the street. In their tight overcoats and derby hats they looked like a vaudeville team. (143)
The word "vaudeville" really undermines the cliché of the criminals; they are both intimidating, dangerous men and somehow comic at the same time.