The Money story
Small-time crook Larry gets a job with wealthy Stefan Bregornick, who knew Larry's father and is an importer of stolen goods. Four months into the job, Larry steals $30,000 from Bregornick, but returns it a few hours later, apologizing for his moment of weakness. Larry's girlfriend Angie is angered at Larry's giving back the money, but Larry explains that he now has Bregornick's trust, and a bigger opportunity to steal will come his way soon. Directed by: Alan Crosland, Jr. Story by: Henry Slesar.
9 total · 2 choice · 5 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| greed for riches | choice | Larry and, more so, his girlfriend Angie were pining to get rich quickly. |
| trust | choice | The story concluded with the revelation that Larry, in returning the $30k, had gained something even more valuable: a rich old man's trust. This might well net him a $100k, cometh the right hour. |
| boss and employee | major | Larry worked as Mr. Bregornick's personal assistant. |
| compromising one's ethical principles for personal advantage | major | Though revealed to have been a no-brainer for Larry in the end, the story seemingly hinged on the question of whether Larry should take advantage of, and steal from, his late and revered father's dignified old friend. |
| con artistry | major | Larry instilled Mr. Bregornick's trust and then went off with an envelop stuffed with $30,000. However, he subsequently returned the money with a view to further gaining Mr. Bregornick's trust so that he could steal an even greater sum later. |
| romantic relationship | major | Larry was shacked up with Angie and they quarreled a lot about money. While they were in a long term relationship of some sort, it is difficult to slap a title like "boyfriend and girlfriend" or "fiancée and fiancée" on it from the information supplied in the story. |
| theft | major | The plot turned on Larry stealing $30,000 in cash from his boss Mr. Bregornick. |
| coping with aging | minor | Angie twice expressed concern to Larry that she wasn't getting any younger. |
| smuggling | minor | Mr. Bregornick was running a shady import business that was evidently a smuggling operation of some sort. |