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“Therefore, in spite of what those sentimental newspaper writers who corrupt the public mind and put into the head of weaklings and misfits of your sort the idea that you can buck the law of God and man and private property, that you can wrench by force from peaceful citizens what they have earned by hard work and brains... and get away with it [….].”
In the last chapter of the book, Francie and Dutch are on trial for their crime spree. As the judge passes down his sentence, he says that he will use them example to discourage other members of their generation from committing similar acts. Although he gives her twenty years in prison, the judge feels for Francie, implying that she was taken advantage of by Dutch because of her lack of education and stable family life. He says he cannot afford to have mercy on Francie if a harsh sentence will keep others from making the same bad choices. By condemning Francie, the judge is also condemning the harsh conditions of the city that made Francie feel as though she was out of options. Her upbringing is representative of many other girls her age living in New York. Always struggling financially, Francie and Dutch felt desperate. They decided to begin what they thought would be a temporary life of crime in order to create a future for themselves and their baby. Now they will lose their youth in return for their bad choices.
