How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Reservoir Dogs.
Quote #4
WHITE: Joe, trust me on this. You've made a mistake. He's a good kid. […] We're all real emotional. But you're barking up the wrong tree. I know this man. He wouldn't do that.
[…]
WHITE: [pulls a gun on Joe] Joe, if you kill that man, you die next. I repeat, if you kill that man, you die next.
White puts his life on the line for Orange, but his loyalty to Orange comes from a very different place than Eddie and Joe's loyalty to Blonde. It's coming from an emotional place; he has no reason to have faith in Orange based on Orange's behavior. This turns out to be a fatal flaw for White. Loyalty is in the act, not in the heart. Personal feelings or relationships have no place in this equation. See The Godfather, parts I, II, and III and every episode of The Sopranos. You have to kill your best friend if they cross you.
Quote #5
ORANGE: I'm a cop, Larry… I'm sorry. I'm so… so sorry. I'm a cop.
WHITE: [sobbing} Oh! Oh!
ORANGE: Sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry. Larry!
Why does Orange confess to Larry, knowing that it could get him killed? Tarantino has said that anyone who can't answer that question hasn't understood the film. We'll give you a minute. Okay. Orange tells White because it's the honorable thing to do to tell the truth to someone who's protected you, cradled you, killed friends for you, and risked his life for you. White refuses to leave Orange behind even though he could have taken the diamonds and left him there to die. White knows he's going to do some serious time when the cops get there. This guy deserved the truth, but he couldn't handle the truth. Why wait until now? Remember that Orange's first duty was to the police job—capturing Joe. Joe's dead, though, and the mission's over, so he won't be compromising anything by revealing his identity. Like White, Orange dies because of loyalty based on emotion.