"When a man's ropes slides off you once, he's mighty cautious about making a second throw."
Sometimes people commit actions with the intentions of being discreet and not getting caught. However, there are certain moments when one does get caught but gets away with their mistake. The quote is referring to a situation when someone makes a mistake and is let off for it. He knows for the future that he must be especially careful since the person who caught him is now on high alert. Perhaps next time, he will not be so lucky and have consequences for his actions.
In this painting, there are women playing cards and one of them is cheating without the knowledge of others. The woman is getting away with the cheating; however, she will one day be caught. The other women will sense that something is not right and will be cautious. These types of situations occur everyday, just like in the novel. For instance, in school, a student may cheat once and get caught. If their only intention was to cheat that one time, that student will still be monitored in the future. That one mistake cost the student the trust of the teacher.
Jim Thompson. The Killer Inside Me. Vintage Books. 1991. 69.
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