How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Maltese Falcon.
Quote #1
LT. DUNDY: You know me, Spade. If you did it, or if you didn't, you'll get a square deal from me and most of the breaks. Don't know if I'd blame you much, a man that killed your partner... but that won't stop me from nailin' you.
There seems to be an understanding between Spade and the cops that a man has to do what a man has to do, but Dundy makes it clear that no man, not even Sam Spade, is above the law.
Quote #2
BRIGID: Do they have to know about me? I mean, can't you shield me so I won't have to answer their questions?
We can infer from Brigid's attitude toward the cops that she is up to some sketchy behavior. She is confident enough she can pull one over on Sam Spade, but she is worried the cops will figure out what she's really been up to.
Quote #3
SPADE: You're not hiring me to do any murders or burglaries but simply to get it back if possible, in an honest, lawful way?
It's difficult to tell if Spade would turn down the request if it contained murder or burglary. Could you see him committing a serious crime in the name of a case? How far would he go?
Quote #4
SPADE: We've got to have a fall guy. The police have gotta have a victim, somebody they can pin those three murders on.
There is a subplot throughout the movie of the cops trying to pin Archer's and Thursby's murders on Spade. As a result, he's had to find any way he can to circumnavigate the police. This is a plan to get them off his back. He knows how the criminal justice system works.
Quote #5
SPADE: Well, if you get a good break, you'll be out of Tehachapi in twenty years and you can come back to me then. I hope they don't hang you, precious, by that sweet neck. The chances are you'll get off with life. If you're a good girl, you'll be out in twenty years. I'll be waiting for you. If they hang you, I'll always remember you.
Spade is pretty cool about all this. Maybe because he isn't the one who might face the gallows. But it proves that he does respect the law. We would think that "a man has to do what a man has to do" doesn't apply to women, but in Quote #1, we mentioned Dundy's insistence that no man—or no woman—is above the law.