M. Police Vs Thieves

In the German film M by Franz Lang, a juxtaposition is present through the entirety of the story between the police officers and the thief guild, who are both going after the child murderer, the Mörder. Both the police and the thief guild have their own agenda's for going after the murderer. The police are there to restore peace to the people, provide justice, and to stop the murders of little children. On the other hand, the thief guild wants to take the murderer off the streets for another reason. Because of the murders, the police had increased activity on the streets, making it harder for the thieves to provide a living for themselves, however unhonorable they attempt to do so. Also, by capturing the murderer, the so called reputation would rise for the thieves to show people that not all criminals are child murderers. The most compelling reason for the thieves to go after the murderer is their conviction of who they believe to be an honorable human being. Even in the modern world, in prisons, there is somewhat of a moral code among the prisoners. Any of the prisoners who has been convicted of harming a child is thought of as no longer being a human. Even the criminals have a sense to understand even the most basic of morals.
The juxtaposition of these two forces is showing the way that each group of society responds under stress and believes that the murderer should be treated. For once, the police and the criminals have a common goal. In a way, they are almost working together. The criminals do not want the polices involvement in finding the murderer, but by capturing him, they are taking the murderer off of the streets, which is the ultimate goal of the policemen. These comparisons are there to show that even the most opposing figures can have a common ground.
Ultimately, in the end, the criminals do hand the murderer over to the police, and the murderer has a trial under the court of law. The point of the movie is not necessarily showing the fate for those who commit murders, but pointing out that they shouldn't have happened in the first place.