Neal can no longer keep from Peter that he stole the coins and fabricated the confession that cleared his murder charge. Subsequently, Peter grapples with the moral dilemma of what is right and what is wrong.
Tropes:
- Crying Wolf: Neal takes advantage of Peter's tendency to doubt him. At the flower market, Neal points out the three different tulip signs and suggests starting with the red one, leading Peter to hesitate, fearing that Neal might be misleading him.
- Curious Qualms of Conscience: Peter grapples with the dilemma of whether he should arrest Neal, thereby revealing that his own freedom was bought, or whether he should keep all of it a secret.
- For Your Own Good: Neal assures Rebecca that it's in her best interest to keep her out of his business with Hagen.
- I Always Wanted to Say That: Mozzie says this, when Rebecca goes off to distract the workers and he seizes the opportunity to cheer her on with the phrase, "You go girl!"
- I Can Explain: Neal pleads with Peter to allow him to explain why he stole the coins.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Neal justifies his actions of stealing the coins, stating that he did it for Peter and believed it was the right thing to do. He also explains that it was necessary because he couldn't find his father for a confession.
- Internal Reveal: Neal confesses to Peter that he stole the coins to bribe his prosecutor, as he couldn't locate his father to obtain a confession.
- Invisibility Ink: The blue panes from the stained glass window function as a decoder lens, revealing Mosconi's signature on the glass. It can also reveal a hidden message in the original chapter 13 of the codex, but not in the copy that Neal has.
- It's What I Do: Peter believes that Neal's primary motivation for stealing the coins was simply because he couldn't resist doing it.
- Justice Will Prevail: Neal assures Peter that his intention in forging his father's confession was to ensure that Peter wouldn't be imprisoned or lose his job due to his father's actions.
- Motive Misidentification: Played with. Neal sincerely says that he stole the coins for Peter's sake, but Peter suspects that Neal might have done it partly because he just enjoyed the thrill of the act. It is not revealed whether this is true.
- Modesty Bedsheet: The bedsheet conveniently covers Neal and Rebecca's bodies after they spend the night together.
- Mutually Assured Destruction:
- Neal invokes this trope by name when he speaks to Dawson, Peter's prosecutor, revealing himself as the thief of the coins and asking who the prosecutor sold them to.
- Later, Peter employs the same tactic with Dawson, forcing him to return the stolen coins and resign.
- Neal also unwillingly set up a situation of mutually assured destruction with Peter; if Peter arrests Neal for the coins, Peter himself will be indicted and lose his job.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Neal's attempt to help Peter by stealing the coins backfires, as Peter is upset and disappointed upon discovering the truth.
- Post-Support Regret: Peter angrily expresses this when Neal confesses to stealing the coins:Peter: Don't you dare try to justify what you did! I put myself out on the line for you, all the time! I helped your father! I was charged for murder because of it!
- Prisoner's Dilemma: Peter bluffs to Neal that they have arrested Dekker, which compels Neal to admit he stole the coins, fearing that Dekker might talk.
- Rage Breaking Point: Peter, who usually remains relatively patient with Neal and occasionally grapples with frustration, loses his temper and screams at him in anger and disappointment upon Neal confessing to the coin theft.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Elizabeth tells Peter that she believes the law can be flexible, and taking the fall for James's actions wouldn't necessarily achieve justice, implying that she would not arrest Neal.
- Talking in Bed: As they lie together in bed after being intimate, Neal asks Rebecca if she genuinely wants to date him, knowing he's a criminal limited to a 2-mile radius. He also warns her about the dangers of being associated with the codex and how it could pose a risk to her.
- Was It All a Lie?: Rebecca worries that Neal used her for his own gain, but he assures her that it's not the case. To prove it, he lets her participate in the stained glass window heist.
