The Departed Criminality Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Departed.

Quote #4

DIGNAM: Family's all criminals except for the old man, huh?

Dignam knows Billy Costigan's family pretty well. He especially knows that Billy's Uncle Jackie was one of the top Irish mob guys in all of Boston before the mafia had him killed. But for some reason, Billy's father never wanted anything to do with a life of crime.

Quote #5

QUEENAN: We can't conceal that you were a trainee. You'll be convicted of a crime. We're thinking a guilty plea to assault and battery would make sense.

Captain Queenan knows that Billy is a valuable asset because of his family connections to crime in the Southie neighborhood. But that means that he'll have to establish Billy's street cred by sending him to jail for a while. That's quite a lot to ask from some kid you're not even giving a full-time job to.

Quote #6

MADOLYN: Sometimes I want people to forget their personal bulls*** and do their jobs.

COLIN: Including the criminals?

MADOLYN: If they don't do their jobs, you don't have one.

Madolyn knows that cops and criminals need mental therapy. But she's also a human being who sometimes wishes people would just get over themselves and do their jobs regardless of which side of the law they're on. As she reminds Colin, he wouldn't have a job if the criminals didn't exist.