"You know what he'd say about it," said Pearl. "He'd suggest that they steal food."
"Well," said Joe, "when they get hungry enough, what will they do? It's just possible they won't need the Devil to suggest anything."
"But that's impossible," said Pearl, wide-eyed. "The Devil's responsible for all such things. With him out of action, people would never think of crime."
"Wouldn't they?" asked Joe. "Is it a crime to eat?"
"No...." Pearl hesitated. "I guess it isn't. And I think if it got to the point where I couldn't put a meal on the table for Jimmy and Sally, I'd probably put a different interpretation on borrowing a few potatoes from old MacDonald's potato field."
"I wonder if the Devil's reputation is entirely deserved?" said Joe. "He's chained up in our basement, but the situation that's building up in the world is becoming explosive."
"Maybe he's not as helpless as we think," ventured Pearl. "Maybe he can control things mentally, even from down there in the basement?"
Joe shook his head.
"Why are you so sure?" asked Pearl.