
Originally Posted by
Bassim
Peter did not know what to answer to the young man. Some people probably deeply sympathized with the poor, exploited and oppressed and the others did not care. There was no doubt that ethics on this planet only existed in the holly holy books, while reality was about cheating, deceiving, lying and abusing. When a single person acted unethically, his behaviour could damage a few of his fellow citizens, but when those in power behaved immorally, they would usually cause suffering for millions. And instead of severe punishments they would be rewarded with prizes, titles, money and fame.
The inevitable result: petty criminals sat in prisons while big criminals held speeches, swaggered about with their honorary degrees and were followed by the crowds of panderers which would gather around them like flies on a horse dung. (If you are writing about specific crowds, then use "the crowds". If you are writing about any crowd, do not use "the". Usually "who" is used when referring to people but "which" seems to work here. The crowd then is seen as a unity rather than an a group of people.
“But why do you do that? For money?
Marcus chuckled. “It’s not for money. It’s excitement. I got a kick out of it.”
“Do you believe in God,” Peter asked.
“Sometimes. I even thank him when everything had has gone smoothly.”
They paced the yard conversing in friendly tones as if they had known each other for years. Marcus wanted to know what Peter was accused of and when he told him that it was the an assault on the Dean, he clapped his hands and said, “It’s a pity that I wasn’t there with you. I would have helped you and beat him black and blue. I hate the clergy!”
“But there are still some outstanding priests around.”
“True, but they were some good Nazis also, and despite their kindness, they still were killing innocent people. The only thing they are interested in is power and their privileges. They don’t give a damn about God!”
Peter had to admit to himself that he really liked this young man. Although he was a criminal who stole other people’s property, at least he was honest, fully aware of his wrong deeds and openly spoke about it without trying to make excuses. There was still hope for him, unlike those who would remain hypocrites and ignore the truth until their last breath.
During the following days, Peter talked with him every morning in the exercise yard, grateful to the prison authorities that they had not paired him with some stupid inmates who would make his life here only worse. The company of Marcus made him feel rejuvenated and hopeful and he would wait impatiently for the door to be opened and the guard to order him to put his feet into the smelly shoes before stepping into the yard.