Pillow Pilferage

     One pillow and several towels gets stolen each morning.
     While I checked out of a low budget motel in Georgia, the owner told me that thievery by guests is rampant. He added that at a second motel he owns in Florida, with pricier rooms, the ripoffs aren't as prevalent.
     The cost per room in Georgia is $39.00. The motel in Florida charges over $70.00.
     Why the discrepancy in rates of theft? The owner cites a difference in the 'quality' of the people living in the two regions. He described the people living near his Florida motel as honest. He said their standards of living are higher.  He said that people living near his Georgia establishment are more than poor in comparison, they're deficient in moral values.
     To underscore this claim, he revealed to me that when he sleeps on the premises of his Georgia motel, he keeps a pistol in the room.
     The owner's morality claim got me wondering. Does a lack of moral values contribute to a lack of income? To quote Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, 'Character is destiny.'