Opportunity makes the thief
The Trench“Opportunity makes the thief” becomes a pointed reversal when Celeste Singer uses Benedict’s own lesson to answer him. The expression shifts from a general maxim about opportunity and wrongdoing into a reminder that his teaching has helped prepare the person now confronting him.
Meaning and Use
The saying links opportunity with the act of becoming a thief: a chance, rather than a fixed identity alone, can enable wrongdoing. The scene gives it a personal edge. Celeste asks, “Opportunity makes the thief, isn't that what you taught me?” Her wording attributes the lesson directly to Benedict instead of presenting the maxim as impersonal wisdom.
Reversal Between Teacher and Pupil
Benedict asks whether Celeste has thought this through, speaking weakly as he blinks away blood from his eyes. She wipes the blood away and says, “I'm ready. You've prepared me well.” The exchange makes the expression a compact reckoning: Benedict’s instruction is no longer simply his to wield, because Celeste returns it as an explanation of her readiness. The maxim thus marks a shift in their dynamic, turning his own words into evidence of the part he played in preparing her.
