History Main / ExactEavesdropping

* The second series of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber'' subverts and [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this -- when Merlin's AloofBigBrother and the corrupt clergyman talk as they walk through the hall, Merlin only hears a sni-ppet of the conversation and is annoyed that ThisIsReality.

* Invoked in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Hohenheim notices that Edward was eavesdropping on Hohenheim's conversation with Pinaco, so he brings up a topic he would have wanted to discuss with Edward.
** Played straight later when Winry arrives right on time to hear Edward accuse Scar of [[spoiler: killing her parents.]]

** There's also a scene in which Nagi hides Isumi in, what is functionally a closet, and gets Wataru to admit his feelings for Isumi. Unfortunately she comes out of hiding before he leaves and he furiously backpedals, killing any chance of the confession having any effect.

** It's also sometimes subverted (though better examples exist in Creator/KenAkamatsu's previous work, ''Manga/LoveHina''). Take the second manga's whole "Negi is a prince" fiasco. [[spoiler: [[IKnewIt And then...]]]]

* ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'': In the first volume, the eponymous League is being employed by the mysterious Mr. M. Eventually, [[spoiler:Captain Nemo sends Griffin (the Invisible Man), to find out more about Mr. M. While Griffin is in the room, not only does "Mr. M" reveal himself to be Moriarty, but]] he then explains his entire backstory to a character that already knows it, allowing the eavesdropper and the audience to gain vital information. This is almost-instantly subverted when [[spoiler: Griffin ''doesn't pay attention'' to it. He found it 'quite boring, really', and forgot almost all the relevant details.]]

* "Literature/{{Rumpelstiltskin}}" features a character - usually a servant, depending on the telling - overhearing the eponymous imp in the woods gloating about how the princess will never guess that his name is Rumplestiltskin.

* In ''Fanfic/ChrysalisVisitsTheHague'', this is implied in one chapter, which is reciprocated as a surveillance transcript listening in on some of the main characters talking about [[spoiler: lawyer Estermann's and judge Colm's secret diplomacy and Lyra Heartstrings' secret identity]].

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9495178/1/Return-of-the-Hero Return of the Hero]]'', this is how [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Nate]] learns that [[spoiler: Kelly isn't his mother, and that he's really the son of Ash Ketchum]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'': Bradley decides to talk to the Gammas about how they're [[spoiler: going to cheat]] ''immediately'' after kicking Goofy out of the fraternity. Evidently, he didn't expect Goofy to come back in to return his pin. What makes this even weirder is that apparently this is the same plan they've acted on for years.
* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'': Pete is about to enter the hotel room right when PJ is berating Max for his lack of foresight in [[spoiler: changing the map]], even repeating what Max told ''him'' (though in context doing so was not unnatural). Of course Pete decides to use this pertinent information for malicious purposes.

* Subverted in ''Film/TheBigLebowski''. The Dude is in a conversation with Jackie Treehorn when the latter receives a call, writes down something on a notepad, tears off the notepad, and excuses himself. The Dude, in full sneaky investigator mode, grabs the notepad and shades it with the side of a pencil to highlight the impression made on the ''next'' sheet of paper. It turns out to be [[spoiler: an anatomically exaggerated picture of a man.]]

* In ''Film/IShotJesseJames'', Frank James overhears Bob Ford's girlfriend Cynthy confess to John Kelley that [[spoiler: she's leaving Bob]]. He later uses this information to [[BreakThemByTalking break]] Robert Ford, in revenge for Bob killing his brother [[UsefulNotes/JesseJames Jesse]].

* A key twist of ''Film/ReindeerGames'' is when Rudy tries to escape in a hotel and stumbles onto the pool area where he soon hears a conversation revealing [[spoiler: Ashley and Gabriel aren't brother and sister at all but lovers who have been setting Rudy up all this time as part of their scheme.]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars''

** {{Averted}} in the ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith next movie'', when Obi-Wan again sneaks around but happens upon the separatists just too late to hear Grievous telling the others where they will be hiding next. Of course, this time it's important for the plot that he ''doesn't'' get to know it yet.

* In ''Ayla and the Networks'' of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, the [[AmateurSleuth Whitman Literary Girls]] magically eavesdrop on She-Beast and Nephandus, and hear just what they're looking for [[spoiler: but they totally misinterpret it because She-Beast isn't doing anything wrong]].
** Extra funny because the WLG are explicitly [[AuthorAvatar Author Avatars]].
** This happens again later on, with a different group, the Good Ol' Boyz, come into possession of a tape that ''seems'' to implicate Ayla and She-Beast in a plot to kill some poor old lady's children and feed them to her. [[spoiler: They're actually discussing the plot of one of Shakespeare's plays. Worse, the GOB's attempt to blackmail She-Beast and Ayla backfires catastrophically when they play the tape for the headmistress - turns out that their leader, who has eidetic memory as a part of his powers, handed in a paper on that exact play; since he ''should'' have recognized it (and obviously didn't), [[HumiliationConga the authenticity of his work has now been called into question and he's forced to write a new paper, on top of doing detention for the blackmail attempt.]] ]]
* Justified in ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'': Cullen hides behind a curtain to eavesdrop on a conversation between Eldest Moorland (his sister), and Eldest Whistler. As Eldest Whistler specifically asked for a private conversation, Cullen has some suspicions what they're going to talk about. [[spoiler: He is correct, Eldest Whistler asks Eldest Moorland for Cullen's hand in marriage. He is delighted.]]
* The second series of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber'' subverts and [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this - when Merlin's AloofBigBrother and the corrupt clergyman talk as they walk through the hall, Merlin only hears a snippet of the conversation and is annoyed that ThisIsReality.

* In ''Literature/{{Dark Angel|1996}}'', this is twice invoked by Angel.

* Happens all the time in Creator/DavidEddings' books. Almost each time the heroes arrive in a new place, they will come across a pair of enemy mooks telling each other everything that is to be known about it (and, typically, calling each other by name in their very first lines). Justified in that there are prophecies taking an active hand in making sure things happen as they're required to. Sometimes the prophecy is not exactly subtle in how it works. It's also occasionally subverted, such as very early in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', when Garion hears Mister Wolf and Aunt Pol (later revealed to be [[spoiler: Belgarath and Polgara, millennia-old sorcerers]]) that makes no sense to either him or the first-time reader, but makes perfect sense to Wolf, Pol and the repeat reader.
* Played with in ''Literature/DealingWithDragons''. The stone prince doesn't really understand the conversation he overhears about the wizards' plot, and he mistakes Woraug's name for ''warthog'', but he manages to relay enough to Cimorene and Alianora for them to figure out what's going on.
* Subverted in ''Dr. Hyde, Detective, and the White Pillars Murder'': The detectives overhear several conversations, but learn nothing. [[spoiler: The important conversation is the one they were specifically invited to watch.]]

* Subverted in ''Forward The Foundation'' by Creator/IsaacAsimov: Hari Seldon's granddaughter Wanda genuinely overhears (perhaps [[{{Telepathy}} telepathically]]) members of the Psychohistory Project plotting against Professor Seldon, but, being a little girl, she doesn't understand their complicated words. It never becomes clear whether the term is "lemonade", "layman-aided", or "Elar-Monay" (the names of the conspirators). [[spoiler: And the plot isn't to kill Seldon at all--only his robot wife.]]

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', it's frequently {{subverted}}, as eavesdropping is quite easy thanks to things like invisibility cloaks, mental connections, and other magical things, but the information never quite makes it in one piece.

* Played very straight in Creator/CSLewis' ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy''. While Aravis and Shasta are separated, they both manage to overhear important, secret pieces of information--in her case, a plan to invade the country of Archenland, and in his, the shortcut through the desert that will allow them to get there ahead of the invaders. This happens right in the beginning, too, when Shasta overhears Arsheesh and the Tarkaan haggling over him. Shasta habitually eavesdropped on Arsheesh though, which ups his odds.
* Parodied by Creator/WoodyAllen in "A Look at Organized Crime"
-->Wiretapping cannot be employed indiscriminately, but its effectiveness is illustrated by this transcript of a conversation between two gang bosses in the New York area whose phones had been tapped by the F.B.I.
-->'''Anthony:''' Hello? Rico?
-->'''Rico:''' Hello?
-->'''Anthony:''' Rico?
-->'''Rico:''' Hello.
-->'''Anthony:''' Rico?
-->'''Rico:''' I can't hear you.
-->'''Anthony:''' Is that you, Rico? I can't hear you.
-->'''Rico:''' Hello?
-->'''Anthony:''' Operator, we have a bad connection.
-->'''Operator:''' Hang up and dial again, sir.
-->'''Rico:''' Hello?
-->Because of this evidence, Anthony (The Fish) Rotunno and Rico Panzini were convicted and are currently serving fifteen years in Sing Sing for illegal possession of Bensonhurst.
* In ''Literature/TheMadKing'' by Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs, the hero takes a cheap hotel room which is one of several created by dividing up an attic with thin partition walls. In the night, he is disturbed by voices from the next room -- which turns out to be the villains, whom he had been following and then lost track of -- going over their plans.
* In ''Mary Cary, Frequently Martha'', the protagonist learns her family history when she's entertaining the children of one of the board members. Said board member is entertaining a visiting friend who has her suspicions as to who Mary is, and, though Mary is trying to listen ''and'' keep the children occupied, she manages to hear every relevant thing about her parents and [[spoiler: the whereabouts of an uncle who isn't aware of her existence and his involvement with the orphan asylum nurse.]]
* Played straight and responsible for most of the suspense in the period piece ''A Murder For Her Majesty''. The main character witnesses the murder of her father and overhears a conversation by the killers, which is what kickstarts the plot. She overhears two conversations later on by the killers and co-conspirators. She herself, disguised as a boy, is discovered for who she is by accidentally saying things out loud that the bad guys overhear when near her. A lot of convenient overhearing, but what the heck, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it makes the story fun]].
* Played relentlessly straight in the ''Literature/NeroWolfe'' novel ''Literature/TheBlackMountain.'' Our heroes have flown to Europe, traveled to a village in Montenegro, hiked into the hills, snuck into a largely-abandoned castle on the merest chance the bad guys might be there, and arrive at exactly the right moment to overhear the baddies discussing the entire plot and admitting to all their guilt.
* In ''Literature/NicholasNickleby'' by Creator/CharlesDickens, the author [[HypocrisyNod scornfully comments]] on how, in the theatrical productions of the traveling players, the comic relief character always happens to overhear the villains' plans and tell the hero. Then in a later chapter, Newman Noggs, the comic relief character of the story itself, happens to overhear the villains' plans and runs to tell Nicholas.
* Played extremely straight in ''Ozma of Oz'', the third Literature/LandOfOz book. The Nome King has transformed people into decorations for his palace, and challenged the main characters to guess which ones they are. This was a needle-in-a-haystack game until Billina the Hen overheard the Nome King and his servant going over all the information she needed to know, and it's very much an AsYouKnow conversation.
* In ''Literature/{{Persuasion}}'', Anne is sitting by herself after the group has broken up during a long walk, and is concealed by the greenery when her old love Captain Wentworth is walking by with Louisa Musgrove, having a discussion about how important it is to be firm and decisive. And then Louisa relates a somewhat inaccurate account of how her brother married Mary Elliot rather than Anne, attributing it to Lady Russel's persuasion (rather than Anne's lack of love). Which all informs Anne that Wentworth is still very angry and hurt over their broken engagement.
* Subverted in the 1903 book ''Literature/RiddleOfTheSands'' where the hero sneaks up to spy on the plotters, only to complain that, unlike in books, they are thoroughly familiar with the subject, so talk quickly in low voices, and refer to the details in brief, cryptic remarks.
* Averted in ''Literature/TheSagaOfTuck'', when many minutes of taped conversations must be screened for the necessary information.
* In Creator/RudyardKipling's ''Literature/TheSecondJungleBook'' story "Letting In the Jungle", after being thrown out of the human village Mowgli overhears the village hunter Buldeo telling some other men that the couple who had adopted Mowgli are due to be executed. Armed with this knowledge Mowgli sets out to rescue them.
* Queen Etheldredda in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' does this to verify everything she hears, to the point that she doesn't trust anything that she hasn't eavesdropped upon.
* Happens a lot in ''Literature/TheSight''. Characters often hear conversations about crucial plot details or the meaning of the book's prophecy while trying to hide from them.
* Usually justified in ''Literature/TheShipWho''. The {{Sapient Ship}}s of the title have numerous audio pickups on board and (after the first book) can rapidly review recordings and amplify the audio to be aware of anything said in their quarters. Nancia in [=PartnerShip=] records extensive collusion to commit crimes and abuse power among her passengers, but can't ''use'' it because she neglected to inform them that she's a brainship.
** Brainships' [[HandyHelper brawns]] also usually wear "contact buttons" when going out while on duty that have an audio/visual feed which the ships can adjust in various ways, and sometimes use to percieve things that the more human senses of the brawns miss.
* Generally averted or subverted in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''; characters will only get partial information, or the true meaning of the conversation will be obscured by the conversation, or the information will only be relevant to a completely different plotline. Brienne, for instance, tends to hear all kinds of interesting information about other characters and events in her travels, but she dismisses most of it as it's entirely irrelevant to her own quest.
** Subverted in ''Literature/AGameOfThrones''; Arya overhears a conversation between conspirators, but the conversation involves the political situation on a different continent, they don't drop many particular details, and speak metaphorically for a large chunk of the conversation. Since Arya's only ten, not only does she misunderstand, she forgets large parts of the conversation (and also misidentifies the dragon skulls being stored in the room she's hiding in as "monsters" when asked.) As a result, when she tries to relate the conversation to someone else, it's garbled to the point of incoherency.
** It's also subverted when Bran overhears a pair of political conspirators, who turn out to be [[spoiler:Jaime and Cersei]]. He also uncovers [[spoiler:their incestuous relationship]]. They catch him, and [[spoiler:Jaime]] immediately retaliates by throwing him off a tower; although Bran survives, he has few memories of what happened and so can't explain the truth. By the time everyone else puts two and two together, it's too late.
* In Connie Willis' novel ''Literature/ToSayNothingOfTheDog'', the main character finds himself eavesdropping on a few occasions, and frustrated because no one gives enough context to be useful. He even references this trope, as the page quote shows.
* In Creator/RuthFrancesLong's ''Literature/TheTreacheryOfBeautifulThings'', Jenny hears the Woodsman and the Goodwife plotting against her.
* This is how Jim finds out that Silver is a pirate in ''Literature/TreasureIsland''; he happens to sneak into the ship's food store for a midnight snack just before the pirates park themselves outside to plot their mutiny.
* In ''Literature/TheVirginWidow'' the protagonist, Anne Neville, is hiding in Tewkesbury Abbey after her husband's defeat. She happens to overhear UsefulNotes/EdwardIV and her childhood sweetheart and former betrothed [[UsefulNotes/RichardIII Richard]] discuss whether Richard wants to marry her now that she is free. Richard is noncommittal, which deeply hurts Anne, but [[spoiler: he later tells her that he couldn't appear too interested because he knew his brother George was going to do everything to keep them apart]].
* Máel Dúin of the medieval Irish romance ''Literature/TheVoyageOfMaelDuin'' is looking for the pirates who killed his father Ailill. When he finds a pirate fort on an island and eavesdrops on the people inside, they just happen to talk about the time they killed Ailill. Not enough: When Máel Dúin returns to the same island much later and, again, eavesdrops on the pirates, they just happen to discuss how they would react if Máel Dúin would turn up right at this moment ...
* The sleeptalk version is played straight in the first book of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Rand's father Tam has a high fever and unconsciously reveals to Rand that he is not his real father.
%%Zero Context* Justified in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' - Harry uses Listening with a capital L to eavesdrop.

* Subverted in one children's novel, in which the main character thinks she overheard a murder plot, but realizes the people were talking about writing a book.

* In ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'', when Callie follows someone and listens in on a conversation, she hears exactly what she wanted to hear despite the characters not having a need to say it again.
* This trope is parodied in an episode of [[Series/{{Blackadder}} Blackadder III]]. Baldrick overhears two actors discussing how they intend to murder the Prince in a hilariously gory fashion, and immediately suspects a plot. In fact, the actors were merely rehearsing a play.

* In ''Series/TheComicStripPresents''' Creator/EnidBlyton parody "Five Go Mad in Dorset", the Famous Five overhear two villains conspiring: "BlahBlahBlah kidnapped scientist blah blah. Blah blah Kneecap Hill blah blah. Blah blah atom bomb blah." That's right - the villains actually ''say'' "Blah blah".

* Subverted on ''Series/{{The Office|US}}''. When Jim is promoted, Dwight goes through an elaborate plan to bug his office, and ends up with hours and hours of Jim talking to clients about paper.
* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': "Mrs. Davis Reads Tea Leaves" begins with [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mrs. Davis reading Miss Brooks' tea leaves at breakfast]] and seeing Miss Brooks and [[LoveInterest Mr. Boynton]] renting "honeymoon cottage" and surrounded by children and rabbits. Later, in the Cafeteria at lunch, Miss Brooks hears Mr. Boynton talking to teenage [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Harriet Conklin]] about renting the cottage at the end of June with Miss Brooks . . . if she'll agree. Miss Brooks expects a proposal of marriage, what Mr. Boynton has in mind is running a summer camp.

* In ''Series/RobinHood'' Marian was always in the right place, at the right time, to hear exactly what the Sheriff and Guy of Gisborne were planning, and pass it on to Robin. The villains would often discuss their plans ''right in front of her'' and then wonder how Robin was always one step in front of them.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}:'' In the series 5 finale Lana manages to overhear Clark and Chloe talking about how he needs to kill Lex. Lana being [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter Lana]], she rushes out and tells Lex, never once stopping to consider that Clark might not ''want'' to kill Lex
* In ''Series/TwentyFour'', they keep hearing of and eavesdropping about imminent attacks, but the characters are extremely unlucky in that the eavesdroppers tend to [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness use terms like "The Target"]] instead of actually giving useful information.

* ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds2019'': Chloe's son Sacha overhears her speaking with his uncle while he's in the bathroom next door. [[spoiler: Due to this, he learns Chloe's brother not only raped her, but Sacha is the result.]] It appears that this was accidental eavesdropping, though it's unclear.
* Averted on ''Series/TheWire''. The vast, vast majority of the intercepted chatter is useless fluff.

* This is a game mechanic in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI''. One of your submissions in each assassination is to seek out very specific people, sit on a bench nearby, and listen to their conversations. These inevitably give you some information about the target or ways you can infiltrate their strongholds and kill them.
** Of course, since you're reliving someone else's memories, and the Animus explicitly cuts out the unimportant or irrelevant bits, it's possible that he waited for hours to hear the relevant information and didn't pay much attention to the rest or remember it.
* Actually averted in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins''. You can pick up on random thugs conversing with each other when going through the city. More often that not, it's just nonsensical (although sometimes hilarious) banter.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deadpool}}'': fifteen seconds of loud explanations from the unaware mooks on how the door and lever work,
--> Deadpool: Alright, High Moon, ''we get it''!

** When Loffrey is sent to negotiate [[spoiler: the mediation of the church in the War of the Lions]] with Dycedarg, which the latter rejects, the conversation slowly becomes a subtle threat of [[spoiler: revealing how he poisoned his own father in order to fulfill his plan of becoming the ruler of Gallione and, eventually, regent king of Ivalice]]. His brother Zalbaag is shocked, while listening to everything behind the main door.

* At one point in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZero'', the Hayworths, while explaining how they wouldn't have been able to bear it if their recently rescued son had been hurt, mention that they'd had a daughter who'd died tragically after they left her with a friend while they went on a business trip before Colin was conceived. Unknowingly to them, the girl who'd rescued their son was their long-lost daughter Renne, who had spent years believing that her parents had sold her to a brothel at the age of five. She was also hiding in Lloyd's closet in order to avoid them, allowing her to hear their side of the story. [[spoiler:It's later implied that [=KeA=] had used her history-altering powers to arrange for Renne to be there to hear that, so she'd be more willing to be helpful later on - and start on the path to recovering from her various mental health problems that originated from that perceived betrayal.]]
* In VideoGame/LostInBlue, after you get through the ancient temple, [[spoiler:you finally encounter another person on the deserted island. Logically, Keith runs at them, thinking "Another person, I'm saved!". He stops himself just before entering their line of sight, and overhears him talking to another person. Through this conversation, you learn that there's apparently an entire platoon of soldiers stationed on the island, with orders to "capture any intruders and turn them into shark bait". If Keith had arrived at another time, or if that conversation had been about something else, he surely would've ended up captured and killed.]]

* Subverted and poked fun at in ''VideoGame/MaxPayne''. When the elevator Max is in reaches the designated floor you can sit in and eavesdrop upon some mooks talking. They're discussing... bullet time in television. You can choose to enter bullet time yourself and kill them that way, just for kicks.

** Invoked in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', where the FOXHOUND members (particularly Liquid and Ocelot) have lengthy conversations about critical details in their plan within earshot of Snake at the exact moments that he happens to be there to spy on them. [[spoiler: It turns out they are deliberately playing off this trope to keep up the appearance that they are capable of launching the nuke from REX. They aren't, however, as Ocelot "accidentally" killed the DARPA chief while torturing him to find out the passcode to arm REX. Since they know Snake has the PAL key which is the only other means of arming or disarming REX (and it can only be used once), but have no idea how to use it themselves, they stage these conversations so Snake will overhear them, think they are going to launch a nuke imminently, and use the PAL key to disarm REX, but actually activate it instead. It works.]]

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou''. On Day 6 of Week 2, Rindo and the Wicked Twisters happen upon Motoi(a Player) having a conversation with Shoka(a Reaper), which ends with Shoka killing Motoi. Rindo uses his ability to change fate to alter some of the events of earlier that day so he can arrive earlier, and hears a little more of the conversation each time. It isn't until Rindo has done everything he can to hasten his arrival that he manages to get there just as the conversation begins and hear the most important part- [[spoiler:Motoi wants to become a Reaper by eliminating Shoka(who was targeted for helping the Wicked Twisters), and has been manipulating Rindo and the others for some time]].

* In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokemon Platinum]]'', when the player is infiltrating the enemy base they will conveniently walk into a room where the BigBad is giving a speech to his mooks laying out his EvilPlan point by point. (This is partially subverted later when the BigBad reveals that he was leaving out key points of the plan during said speech.)

* In one of the early levels of the first ''VideoGame/SplinterCell'' game, one of your objectives is to listen in on a conversation with your laser mic. Although you get there in plenty of time, if you don't set your mic up once they start talking, you can miss important parts of the conversation and fail the mission.

If a character in almost any type of fiction gets a chance to eavesdrop, they will almost certainly hear something important. So, for instance, if our hero finds himself hiding in the villain's base listening to a conversation, chances are it's going to be about the villain's latest [[EvilPlan plans for world domination]], rather than two random {{Mooks}} [[VillainsOutShopping talking about their weekend plans]]. It's also very likely that the villain will take this opportunity to [[{{Exposition}} go over important information everyone they're talking to should already know]], in order to give the hero all the context and backstory he needs. In this way, this trope can function as a sort of in-story version of AsYouKnow, only instead of filling in backstory for the audience, it's being done for the character, and is a way to get vital, plot-moving information from one group or person to another.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E52APennyForYourThoughts A Penny for Your Thoughts]]", using his newfound powers of {{telepathy}}, Hector B. Poole hears Mr. Sykes thinking that he plans to use his $200,000 loan to bet on horses so that he can win back the money that he has embezzled. He later learns that Mr. Smithers plans to rob the bank and go to UsefulNotes/{{Bermuda}}, though this turns out to be nothing but a fantasy that Smithers has on an almost daily basis.