How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
But you will soon see that her key witnesses are among the most self-serving, heartless people imaginable (2.79).
Many of the prosecution's witnesses participate in the trial for their own personal gain. They don't seem to care who gets hurt in the process, though the same might to be said about the attorneys.
Quote #2
Let me get this straight, Mr. Zinzi. You'd buy stolen goods for profit, rat on somebody to save your own hide, but you're too good to lie. Is that right? (2.148)
Zinzi doesn't even know the dudes in the trial, which raises the question: Is betrayal acceptable when the person you're ratting on is guilty? What about if you don't know them?
Quote #3
O'BRIEN
You use stories and you use people, right?ZINZI
Sometimes. (2.161-162)
It's all about survival in prison, and people and truth just become tools for surviving. Is this true for the lawyers too? They're trying to survive their careers, after all, and people and truth are tools for doing so.
Quote #4
TONY
I didn't throw that rock. You threw it.STEVE
I didn't say you threw it. I just said "Run." You should've run. (2.180-181)
Steve claims innocence here, while also implying Tony's guilty for something he actually did. Is this a betrayal?
Quote #5
You were in jail trying to be a good citizen? Or were you really just trying to get out of jail and not caring who you put in? Isn't that what you're really doing? Well, isn't it? (4.58)
Was it appropriate for Bolden to rat out Bobo? Were his actions honorable or selfish?
Quote #6
And now that you're in trouble, you'd do pretty much anything to get out of trouble, wouldn't you? And when I say anything, I mean tell lies, get other people in trouble, anything? (8.28)
This is getting to be a theme… which is good since this is the "Themes" section and all. Again we see that nothing matters but getting out.
Quote #7
I have trouble testifying against a Black man, if that's what you mean. (16.50)
Lorelle Henry feels like testifying against King means betraying her race, and this idea haunts her. She only testifies because she feels it's the right thing to do, that King is, in fact, guilty as charged.
Quote #8
I sold the cigarettes to this guy. […] Then he sold some to a white boy and then the white boy dropped a dime on him and he dropped it on me. Once it got going it was 4-1-1, 9-1-1, 7-1-1, I guess they was dropping dimes with 800 numbers, too. (16.142)
You guys—it's the betrayal hotline.
Quote #9
I wouldn't bring anybody into a serious jam unless they wanted to be there. You can't rely on nobody that don't want to be there. (16.198)
Okay, so Bobo is super unreliable… and has a hard time finding people to rely on. No surprise there, really.
Quote #10
When they got you in the system, it ain't time to get all holy. You in the system, you needs to get out the system. (18.87)
What are the inmates and witnesses (including Steve) willing to do to escape the system? If we think of betrayal as a communication system, does this quote remain relevant?