The Third Policeman 1

I was about sixteen then and the date was the seventh of March. I still think that day is the most important in my life and can remember it more readily than I do my birthday. The book was the first edition of Golden Hours with the last two pages missing. By the time I was nineteen and had reached the end of my education I knew that the book was valuable and that in keeping it I was stealing it. Nevertheless I packed it in my bag without a qualm and would probably do the same if I had my time again. Perhaps it is important in the story I am going to tell to remember that it was for de Selby I committed my first serious sin. It was for him that I committed my greatest sin.

Importance
The narrator spends a large portion of his time reading the works of de Selby this is where he first discusses reading the de Selby's works. He also says that he committed his "greatest sin" for de Selby, and because admits to being involved in a murder in the first sentence of the novel, it can be inferred that he kills someone in the name of de Selby. This passage is important because the narrator states that it is important.

Analysis
The narrator recalls the date on which he first read de Selby more easily than he recalls his own birthday. This comparison of the dates of his life shows that the narrator puts the works of de Selby before himself. When the narrator says that he sinned "without a qualm" and would repeat the action given the chance, he is foreshadowing the actions of the future, where he kills a person and shows little remorse. He has a nonchalant tone about crime the petty crime he commits, and that acts as an indicator of his nonchalant response to murder. The narrator also uses short sentences to show that he is very matter-of-fact about the whole situation and does not let his emotions interfere with his actions.