True West Criminality Quotes

Lee lays out the fact that he's a thief pretty clearly. Most importantly, it's clear that he doesn't see anything wrong with his chosen profession.

Lee drops some science on this one. Despite Austin's success and seemingly normal life, Lee knows that deep down they come from the same stock, and Austin could be just as much of a criminal and outsider as he is.

In Lee's mind, making money from stealing is far better than accepting a handout from Austin or living off of society the way Austin lives.

Lee tries to steal from his own mom. There's really not much more that needs to be said about what kind of man he is.

As brazen as Lee is about stealing, he still feels the need to justify himself to Austin here. Whether he believes what he's saying isn't even really the issue. What's more important is the fact that he tries to make himself appear somehow noble when Austin questions him.

Okay, TVs and Mom's antiques aren't the only loot Lee is interested in. This one statement shows that he at least has the potential to be a pretty serious criminal. We don't know if he's ever done what he's talking about, but the fact that he even knows it's an option demonstrates that he has spent some time thinking about all the ways to get rich from stealing.

The beauty of this is that Lee makes this entrance knowing full well that Austin will still be meeting with Saul. He lugs the stolen TV in just to mess with Austin. Austin has to simply agree when Lee talks about having picked up the TV from the repair shop.

Lee's just come back from golf and told Austin that Saul is taking on his movie idea instead of Austin's. The fact that Austin can't even fathom that this could have occurred without some form of violence or criminal activity goes a long way to show what Austin really thinks about his brother. By the way, Austin is totally right. At the very least, some gambling was involved.

Austin strikes it huge in the toaster-stealing biz. As funny and absurd as this is, it's a huge moment in the play. Austin has enacted his first criminal act, and things just keep going downhill from here.

Once again, Lee tries to steal from his mom. This time, though, she's right there. Of course, this isn't all that surprising. What's big about this moment is that Mom seems to have no idea that Lee is stealing from her. She freely accepts his lie that he is borrowing antique plates to use in the desert.