How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Lost Weekend.
Quote #7
[Don steals a woman's purse while she cuddles with her lover.]
Eventually, Don gets so desperate that he resorts to thievery. It's not his most charming moment. What's more, it shows that Don's impressive manipulation skills are turning up diminishing returns, and that's really bad for him.
Quote #8
DON: Could you let me have some money?
GLORIA: Say, you out of your mind? Don't be ridic. [...]
[Don kisses her.]
[...]
GLORIA: How much money?
This is a low point, even for Don. It's not just that he already has a girlfriend, though that would be bad enough. More than that, it's that he so flagrantly takes advantage of Gloria and her attraction to him with zero concern for how it affects her. That girl is going to have some serious trust issues when everything is said and done.
Quote #9
SHOPKEEPER: That'll be $2.15.
DON: Come on, I need that liquor. I want it and I'm going to get it, understand? I'm going to walk out of here with that quarter of rye, one way or another.
While Don's decision to steal that lady's purse was pretty bad, it was still very much in line with the guy that Don is. It's small stakes stuff. This, on the other hand, is something completely different. If anything, it shows just how dark and violent Don is becoming, and how that darkness now threatens to consume him whole.