I quattrini rubati non fanno mai frutto

“I quattrini rubati non fanno mai frutto” is the proverb Pinocchio recalls when the Fox and Cat plead poverty. Its force in the scene is both moral and personal: he treats their present misery as the consequence of what they have done, rather than as a reason to pity or assist them.

Meaning and Form

The proverb turns the image of money bearing fruit into a compact judgment about stolen wealth. Its wording presents theft not as a shortcut to prosperity but as an act that cannot produce a good or lasting return. Pinocchio does not offer the saying as detached advice; he applies it directly to the two who are asking for compassion.

Dramatic Use

The Fox and Cat repeat that they are truly poor and miserable, then beg Pinocchio to take pity on them. He answers that they deserve their condition, invokes the proverb, and bids them farewell. Their repeated appeals for compassion meet his refusal, making the saying a pointed reversal: Pinocchio, once deceived by them, now recognizes their hardship without allowing it to erase their responsibility.

Narrative Significance

The proverb gives a memorable verbal form to the story’s warning about stolen gains. In this exchange, its lesson is sharpened by the change in Pinocchio’s position: he is no longer the credulous victim of the Fox and Cat’s promises, but the one who names the consequence of their conduct. The saying closes the encounter with moral judgment rather than reconciliation.