Explain this scene from "High Noon"

Cafe Society
1

I caught the tail end of *High Noon * on AMC this morning. There is a funny bit of business that had me wondering. It takes place as the gang of bad guys is first strolling into town. One of them dart’s over to a shop window, smashes it, grabs a woman’s bonnet or purse from the display and hooks it on his belt. He explains, “I just want to be prepared.”

Huh? Prepared for what? The crossdressers barn-raiser and boxlunch social on Saturday?

I’ve never seen High Noon straight through, so maybe this scene is explained in a part I’ve never watched.

2

Free bump - it’s been too long since I saw High Noon - I don’t even remember that bit.

3

Grace Kelly springs to mind.

4

Why do you hate America. If you haven’t watched High Noon striaght through, the terrorits have already won.

I remember the smash and grab but I don’t remember the reason.

5

There’s a discussion of the matter here.

6

That requires registration. What’s the consensus?

7

Oops, sorry, I thought you could read the posts without registering.

There isn’t really a consensus, just several speculations, including these:

He wants to be ready for the celebrations after Kane is dead and figures on getting a saloon gal and buying her affections partly with the hat.

He broke the window just so that it would tip Kane off that the gang was coming down the other street, allowing him to come up behind them.

It could be the director’s way of showing us that the cowdudes aren’t on a vendetta just against Kane but against the whole town.