Point of View

In Really, Doesn't Crime Pay, the story is told in the first person by Myrna, who at first seems to be an unreliable narrator. The story is told through a series of journal entries that are out of order. It is after reading the past entries dated May 1958 that the reader finds that at least Myrna can be viewed as a reliable narrator for that period of time. By the end of the story, when the journal entries come back to the present (September 1961), the reader can see that she is a reliable narrator-if also a broken woman.

Setting

In Really, Doesn't Crime Pay, the setting shifts from September of 1961 to May of 1958 and then back to September of 1961. In 1961, the setting is in a new Southern home equipped with all new furniture. In 1958, the setting is Ruel and Myrna's old home where their toilet is...