"Now imagine, Allen, if those children were starving in another city. What if I stole money from the rich to feed them? Would you still think I did the wrong thing?" she asked.
Allen was silent for a moment, contemplating her question. Finally, he replied, "It's... still wrong."
"You hesitated a bit," Marianne replied.
Marianne continued, "You say you can't sympathize with thieves, but that's just a paradigm. You can't definitively say it's true. It's different for me. I believe that stealing is justified, as long as there is no violence involved."
She paused, allowing her words to sink in. "Maybe that's not the case in Oxwadeshire, but in other areas, children and poor people have no choice but to steal to survive. They are never given another chance to do anything else. They might have the desire to work and the talent to excel, but they never have the time to hone their skills or pursue their dreams. All they can do is survive."
