Help Wanted story
Elderly Mr. Crabtree is ordered by his boss, Mr. X, to kill a man who will enter his office on a certain day. Crabtree decides not do the task, but when a man enters his office at the expected time, Crabtree is so upset at the thought of losing his job that he ends up killing him anyway. Shortly afterward another man, the correct target, arrives at Crabtree's office, but Crabtree has already received his payment for the murder and walks out. Directed by: James Neilson. Story by: Robert C. Dennis, Stanley Ellin.
10 total · 1 choice · 6 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| how to murder someone and get away with it | choice | Mr. X hatched a seemingly foolproof plot to have Mr. Crabtree knockoff Mr. X's blackmailer. |
| anger | major | We heard that Mr. Crabtree had flown into a violent rage upon being fired by his manager. Later, Mr. Crabtree got all up in arms at his new job and pushed a man out of a 20 story high window to his death. One might even surmise that he had a management issue with the anger, though it was never made clear. |
| coping with a loved one being gravely ill | major | Mrs. Crabtree was ill enough to need a hospital treatment of some sort. |
| facing job insecurity | major | Mr. Crabtree was distressed at being unemployed because his wife was ill. |
| great need vs. breaking the law | major | Mr. Crabtree decided against the murder even though he desperately needed the money for his wife's treatment. |
| husband and wife | major | Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree. |
| murder | major | The story finished with a curiously orchestrated assassination. |
| blackmail | minor | Mr. X was desperate to murder his blackmailer. |
| getting fired from one's job | minor | Mr. Crabtree spoke of how he flew into a violent rage when his manager fired him. |
| psychopathy | minor | Mr. X explained that he had no emotions and he also demonstrated a notable lack of empathy for Mr. Crabree and the intended victim. |