History Main / NeverLendToAFriend

** Tony himself runs up some gambling debts and ends up owing money to his Jewish friend Hesh. When Hesh asks for it back, Tony gets defensive and resentful and starts making GreedyJew jokes. Their long friendship ends.

* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'': In ''Tortillas for the Daltons'', the Daltons end up in Mexico, where they mug a mariachi band for their mules, clothes, and instruments. Luke runs into the mariachis and notes that one doesn't seem too cut up about it. He then says that he'd already lost his stuff to one of the other bandmembers while playing poker.

* Two guys are walking down the street when a mugger approaches them at gunpoint and demands their money. They both grudgingly pull out their wallets and begin taking out their cash. Just then one guy turns to the other and hands him a bill. "Here’s that $20 I owe you," he says.

* In Creator/GuyDeMaupassant's "Literature/TheNecklace", a woman borrows a fancy necklace, [[BrokenTreasure loses it]], can't bring herself to tell her friend, beggars herself and her husband to buy an identical necklace to give back... and then, after a lifetime of misery based on that single decision, encounters the lender again, spills her guts, and discovers [[spoiler:that the woman had only lent her costume jewelry]].
* In Creator/GeorgeEliot's ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}'', Fred Vincy casually persuades Mr. Garth to underwrite a debt, assuming that he will easily pay it back from an expected inheritance. When this [[PassedOverInheritance doesn't work out as expected]], he tries to scrape up the money owed but comes short, forcing the Garths to give up their life's savings which were earmarked to fund their children's apprenticeship. Fred is guilt-torn, but later, when Mr. Garth's fortunes improve, it's he who gives Fred the means to redeem himself and repay the money.
* In one of Creator/LewisCarroll's ''Literature/SylvieAndBruno'' books, the Professor tries to explain the meaning of the word 'convenient' with a poem about two men, Peter and Paul, which begins with one deciding as a gesture of friendship to lend the other fifty pounds. Said poem takes this trope to its extreme, as the lender does not find it "convenient" to provide the money until well after the date in which the lendee is forced to ''pay it back''... and after the lendee is reduced to homelessness... and while the lender still hasn't found it convenient to lend the original money at the end of the poem, he has decided in his magnaminosity to lend fifty ''more'' pounds! Which the lendee rejects, exclaiming that "it would not be convenient!"

* In Creator/PGWodehouse's ''Literature/{{Ukridge}}'' stories, Ukridge is always leaning on his friends for financial assistance, and they often oblige. If they remind him too frequently about what he owes, he's hurt that an old pal should display such a narrow-minded, grasping attitude, and claims that his latest GetRichQuickScheme will allow him to repay them tenfold if they just stop being so impatient. Corky (who narrates the stories) is resigned to the fact that he'll never get any money back -- while still allowing himself to be talked into dispensing a little more. Other friends still haven't learned.
-->'''Tupper:''' We ought to do something practical for him. After all, a loan of twenty pounds cannot relieve the situation permanently.\\
'''Corky:''' I think you're a bit optimistic if you're looking on it as a loan.

* Very frequent on ''Series/TheSopranos'':
** Tony tries to keep his childhood friend David Scatino, a notorious [[TheGamblingAddict gambling addict]], away from his illegal high-stakes poker game. When Scatino insists and runs up a ridiculous losing streak, Tony agrees to lend him the money to cover it, but at the same terms as anyone else. Scatino soon becomes swallowed by the interest, which destroys his business and marriage. Tony is unmoved by Scatino's plight, reasoning that Scatino might be an old friend, but he gave him every warning to never get in debt to the mob, and that he brought everything bad that happened to himself by failing to control his gambling problem.
** Artie tries to borrow money for an investment deal from Ralphie, who hears him out but ultimately refuses, reasoning that if Artie couldn't pay, he'd have to beat him up, and he doesn't want to be put in that position.
** Tony gets offended that Artie didn't come to him first and insists on loaning Artie the money. Artie's investment falls through, leaving him in a hopeless situation. Tony ultimately forgives the debt and lets Artie repay him with free meals at his restaurant. Artie is grateful, but he also accuses Tony of realizing that lending him money was a XanatosGambit all along. Their friendship is never quite the same.
** Tony himself runs up some gambling debts and ends up owing money to his Jewish friend Hesh. When Hesh asks for it back, Tony gets defensive and resentful and starts making GreedyJew jokes. Their long friendship ends.
** Christopher's friend JT Dolan from AA runs up a large gambling debt, and Chris lends him the money to cover it. Dolan balks at the fact that Christopher charges him the same punishing vig as anyone else, but Christopher counters that he won't enable Dolan's bad decisions. Dolan has trouble paying the money back, causing Christopher to pummel him and steal his possessions, ultimately costing Dolan everything but the shirt off his back. From then on, Dolan is resentful and afraid of Chris, but Chris doesn't seem to notice.
* ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond:'' Ray and Debra lend Robert money after visiting his run-down bachelor pad, but Ray gets upset when Robert goes to Las Vegas. By the end of the episode, though, Ray has admitted to Robert that he secretly envies him. As Ray puts it, a vacation for him would be going to the bathroom for 2 minutes without someone banging on the door. As Robert is still single, he can afford to just up and go to Vegas. Ray urges him to go. We never see Debra's viewpoint on this. Presumably, she'd disagree with Ray.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Frasier lends Roz some money to help her through single motherhood but calls her spending into question when Daphne sees her at a spa, and Frasier sees luxury items in her shopping bag. Turns out they were all justified expenses (a coupon, a gift from her mother, a store credit for a return, etc.) apart from one (a bottle of perfume) which she got to treat herself.
* Twisted in ''Series/{{House}}'', where House asks Wilson to borrow money any time he makes a big purchase. He actually ''has'' the money, he's just trying to objectively measure the strength of their friendship.
* ''Series/ICarly'' devotes an entire episode to Sam paying back Carly and Freddie $500. Sam ends up getting a bad job and it strains their relationship somewhat.
* ''Series/SexAndTheCity'' - Carrie needs to get a mortgage on her apartment, but has apparently managed to spend all her money on shoes (no, really) so she doesn't have it. Miranda and Samantha offer to loan her the cash (she refuses) but Charlotte doesn't, because of this trope. Carrie whines about it, and Charlotte eventually changes her mind and lends the money to Carrie, who promises to pay it back with interest. It's never mentioned or brought up again.

* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'': Maddie borrows money from London, and London uses this to guilt Maddie into doing things for her. In the end, Esteban and the rest of the staff take up a collection so Maddie can pay London back. This upsets London who wanted to keep power over her.
** In another episode Zack borrows money from another boy to play in the arcade, without any ability or intention to pay back; the boy threatens Zack into making Cody throw the spelling bee they are both in so he can win 'or else'. Since the boy is tall and built, Zack thinks the threat is violent. However, when everything comes to light, the boy reveals he wasn't going to beat him up; he was going to tell Zack's mom about the money.
* Partly [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] and partly averted in an episode of ''Series/DoogieHowserMD''. Vinnie asks Doogie for some money, and at first Doogie refuses because of this trope. He ends up agreeing, but it doesn't cause any problems between them and it never gets mentioned again.

* In the second series of ''Series/FreshMeat'', the housemates discover they've all independently been lending money to Vod, and she hasn't been paying anyone back, so they confront her over it at a house meeting.
-->'''Vod:''' I didn't realise I was living with a bunch of bean counters!\\
'''Kingsley:''' Yeah, we've counted them, and we've got no beans. You've taken all our beans!
* ''Series/MurdochMysteries'': PlayedForLaughs in "The Spy Who Came Up to the Cold", when Higgins hides Crabtree's fancy new pen because George bought it rather than repay a small loan to him. Crabtree argues that Higgins borrowed from him a year earlier to get a uniform item and hadn't repaid that loan. The two trade insults while working the case.
* On ''Series/MagnumPI2018'' this is downplayed with Magnum who constantly owes money to his friends for expenses they incurred helping him. He wants to pay them back but he is constantly broke and whenever he gets a decent amount of money, he will spend it on something noble like helping out a bunch of orphans. His friends like to tease him about this from time to time but have no ill feelings since they know that if they are ever in any real trouble, Magnum will move heaven and hell to help them.
* Played with in ''Series/{{Reba}}''. Reba's ex-husband Brock and his new wife Barbara Jean have fallen on hard times and are in danger of losing their house. Reba has recently become a real estate agent, so they ask her to buy the house to save them. She does, and promptly becomes their landlord, having them sign a formal lease agreement and establish their rent payments. Barbara Jean in particular was expecting Reba to let them live there out of the goodness of her heart and considers this arrangement to be Reba taking advantage of their misfortune, so she goes out of her way to be a terrible tenet to punish Reba. In the end, Reba explains that she set up the arrangement legally so they wouldn't worry about the confusion that usually follows this trope getting in the way of their relationship, and Barbara Jean is just so happy that Reba's actually admitting they have a relationship, all is forgiven.

-->Everybody knows someone like that
-->Who borrows money and won't pay you back
-->They'll talk about you at the drop of a hat
-->Lie about it to your face when they're caught
* Creator/TimWilson: Inverted in "100 Things Every Man Ought To Know"
--> Let people borrow money and they'll leave you alone