One of the major themes of the novel is the tension between Marlowe and law enforcement. Since Marlowe is a private eye, he often investigates the same cases as the police. However, right from the beginning, it’s clear to see that Marlowe and the police share a feeling of resentment towards one another. In fact, this seems to be the case with every encounter Marlowe has with a detective or cop.

The first detective that Marlowe meets in the novel is Nulty. Marlowe describes him as being incompetent, and he talks to him with a sarcasm that leans towards disrespect. The fact that Nulty asks for Marlowe’s help in finding Velma adds to Nulty’s appearance of being inept at his job. This happens again with Randall. While Marlowe seems to respect him more than he does Nulty, Marlowe is the one who cracks the case, despite having been repeatedly warned by Randall to lay off.

While law enforcement officials usually represent justice, in the novel they are often corrupt pawns under the thumb of a higher authority. However, Marlowe is man that can’t be bought for a price. While many of his actions may be morally ambiguous, he is the one who ultimately solves the case, not law enforcement.