Hard-boiled detective fiction sets the stage for a cold, harsh reality. “The Girl with Silver Eyes” by Dashiell Hammett is no exception to this rule. In this short story Hammett paints a picture of a brutally realistic inner city filled with characters that not many people would want to call friends. The realistic qualities of Hammett's story come from his life experience working as a Pinkerton detective. The detective in "The Girl with Silver Eyes" works for the Continental Detective Agency and is therefore known simply as Continental Op. At the beginning of the story the Op states that "a detective, if he is wise, strives to make himself and keep as many friends as possible among the transfer companies, express companies and railway employees" (27). This article will examine the philosophy of the Continental Op, how it employs this approach to detective work, and find out whether this approach is advantageous or disadvantageous. The Continental Op is an unpleasant character with a fussy attitude towards his work. The Op believes the case he is about to undertake is legitimate but states that "I am just a hired hand and I have to respect the rules" (23). At the center of this statement is a man who is unwilling to break the rules outlined by his company. People who always follow the rules are often seen as trustworthy and at the same time difficult to get along with. When you know that a person will always follow the rules, like the Op, their actions become predictably frustrating. Things could go a lot faster if one person took a corner or two and helped. In this way the detective could make himself more likeable to his new client. The Op shows no desire to perform this way to get friends on his side. T...... middle of paper...... even if it means he has to pay some people to become his friends. Without the help of the girl from the Marquis Hotel the Op wouldn't have gotten that lead. If it weren't for Porky Grout's help over the past three years, who knows how many cases would have remained unsolved. Although in the end things between Porky and the Continental Op don't work out and Porky meets his fate. It's clear that the Op's philosophy on what it means to make and keep friends is different than what other people would describe. It is the strong moral code that the private investigator constantly reinforces that allows the case to come to a solution. People may not like the Op and fortunately for the general public most people don't have the personality of the Continental Op. The fact is that the detective solves the case and ultimately wins his women.