The faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier: the manners and habits of a duke would cost a city clerk his situation.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Shaw highlights that traits deemed criminal in one class are celebrated in another, depending on status.
- In plain terms
- A burglar's faults are a financier's qualities; class changes morality.
- What can you take from it?
- Society judges actions based on status, not the act itself.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is justice blind to class?
- How does status affect ethics?
Another view
It equates legal and illegal acts too broadly.
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