“Just as I pulled on the lanyard, I heard a shot go off. It took several moments for me to comprehend what had happened. The cop had shot the man I was bartering with! I could see that it hadn’t been a warning shot as blood came from an obvious wound right between his eyes!”
“Bartering, which still goes on today for those who have no cash or wish to avoid taxation, has obvious drawbacks. These include” the necessity of the double coincidence of wants - both parties in the exchange must want exactly what the other has.”
“Don’t, Harry. The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought, and sold, and bartered away. It can be poisoned, or made perfect. There is a soul in each one of us. I know it.”