"Then how did this idea become 'ours,' Fede? I came up with it."
Fede lost his nasty smile. "There's loyalty and then there's loyalty."
"Uh-huh."
"No, really. You and I are a team. I rely on you and you rely on me. We're loyal to something concrete — each other. The Eastern Standard Tribe is an abstraction. It's a whole bunch of people, and neither of us like most of 'em. It's useful and pleasant, but you can't put your trust in institutions — otherwise you get Nazism."
"And patriotism."
"Blind patriotism."
"So there's no other kind? Just jingoism? You're either loyal to your immediate circle of friends or you're a deluded dupe?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying."
"So where does informed loyalty leave off and jingoism begin? You come on all patronizing when I talk about being loyal to the Tribe, and you're certainly not loyal to V/DT, nor are you loyal to Jersey. What greater purpose are you loyal to?"
"Well, humanity, for starters."