The Third Man
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The Third Man is a 1949 film directed by Carol Reed, in part about the post-World War II underworld in Vienna. There is a speech given by one of the characters that comes to mind these days, a speech that could be made by many of today’s business and political figures.
I won’t reveal the characters or the plot, but if you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want to know anything about it, maybe stop here and watch the movie. It’s sometimes available on the Criterion Channel, or you may be able to find it at your local library.
The scene is of a criminal at a high vantage point looking down at people on the ground. The people look like dots from that height. The criminal comments on the harm his crimes have caused:
“Look down there. Would you really feel any pity if one of those - dots - stopped moving forever? If I offered you 20,000 pounds for every dot that stopped would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spend? Free of income tax old man, free of income tax.”
(£20,000 in 1949 is over £600,000 in 2026).