Stealing, of course, is a crime, and a very impolite thing to do. But like most impolite things, it is excusable under certain circumstances. Stealing is not excusable if, for instance, you are in a museum and you decide that a certain painting would look better in your house, and you simply grab the painting and take it there. But if you were very, very hungry, and you had no way of obtaining money, it would be excusable to grab the painting, take it to your house, and eat it.
Daniel HandlerIโm not a romantic, Iโm a half-wit. Only stupid people would think Iโm smart. Iโm not something anyone should know. Iโm a lunatic wandering around for scraps, Iโm like every single miserable moron Iโve scorned and pretended I didnโt recognize. Iโm all of them, every last ugly thing in a bad last-minute costume. Iโm not different, not at all, not different from any other speck of a thing. Iโm a blemished blemish, a ruined ruin, a stained wreck so failed I canโt see what I used to be.
Daniel HandlerWhen it was first optioned, I was told that the chances of The Basic Eight becoming a film were slim because no one was making teen movies, and then later, I was told that the chances were slim because there were so many teen movies, and then I was later told that the chances were slim because teen films were over. I'm not sure when the magic window of opportunity was, but perhaps it's still on the horizon.
Daniel Handler