Obviously last week's discussion of Fred Colon wouldn't be complete without his partner in crime (and against crime) Nobby Nobbs.
I used to find it odd in the books that Vimes would allow Nobby's petty crimes without kicking him out. It may be that I think stealing from comrades is despicable, and I don't altogether buy Pratchett's excuses. If he valued Nobby's skills (as they are) you'd think that punishing him would knock him into shape somewhat. But that said, Nobby shows signs of absolute genius on times - I'm thinking of the time he talked the armoury out of all their weapons . . . but then he goes and does something really stupid.
Look, I get that Nobby and Fred are basically the comic relief in a lot of the books and that Nobby is often the foil for Fred's bigotry, so I don't mind either of them being their to lighten the plot. But what do you all think?
I used to find it odd in the books that Vimes would allow Nobby's petty crimes without kicking him out. It may be that I think stealing from comrades is despicable, and I don't altogether buy Pratchett's excuses. If he valued Nobby's skills (as they are) you'd think that punishing him would knock him into shape somewhat. But that said, Nobby shows signs of absolute genius on times - I'm thinking of the time he talked the armoury out of all their weapons . . . but then he goes and does something really stupid.
Look, I get that Nobby and Fred are basically the comic relief in a lot of the books and that Nobby is often the foil for Fred's bigotry, so I don't mind either of them being their to lighten the plot. But what do you all think?