Thieves and trust

It’s fair to say humans have stolen from each other since the beginning of time. Thieves reap the benefits of other peoples’ labour without the slightest pang of conscience, seeing it as an accomplishment, an indicator of how smart they are.

I once shared a UK hostel space with an apparently pious Irish Catholic woman, who was also a petty thief. The day she unexpectedly vanished those of us she’d