A gold-colored coin purse with a pink ribbon on a magenta velvet cushion.

Original artwork, not a still

Virgil

After fifteen minutes, I wanted to marry her, and after forty-five minutes, I completely gave up the idea of stealing her purse.

— Take the Money and Run  ·  1969

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Wanting to marry someone arrives before abandoning the idea of stealing her purse. The timings make affection and criminal intention coexist, with the second impulse taking longer to disappear. The joke unsettles the expected romantic progression by making a decision against theft its later milestone.

Context reviewed

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