Asimov’s The Acquisitive Chuckle arguably counts.
What about John Wick? Having his car stolen was as much of a factor in his kill spree as the death of the puppy.
Prometheus suffered gruesome consequences for stealing fire from the Gods and giving it to humanity.
Good point. Thanks Chez_Guevara.
I’ll look at The Acquisitive Chuckle. Thanks The_Other_EWaldo_Pepper.
Putting aside “read” for a moment, how about plots in movies? Everything from THE STING to PULP FICTION involves realizing that, oh, we didn’t help ourselves to stuff that belongs to Just Some Guy; we’ve now run afoul of Someone Craving Not Mere Retrieval But Our Deaths…