Rich Morris' Comics - YAFGC and The ComixBlog

Love the self-reference in panel 2!

Frankly I'm loving Donna's cleavage!

Gimmicking the slot machines? The 10th Doctor has gotten awfully casually unethical.

Okay, I suppose there could be a legitimate reason why cheating like this is for some greater good and we just haven't seen it yet, but I'm doubting it. Besides, 10 always seemed to have trouble finding a consistent moral center, and certainly considered himself above the law, free of restrictions he'd impose on others.

The Doctor's always been that way. Most of his possessions are stolen from someone or another. He gets quite upset when folks steal from him, but other than that has no real concept of ownership as it applies to other people's things - and a great deal difficulty with the concept of money. When he wants some, he tends to take a bunch and throw at it the problem - giving out winning lottery tickets to get someone out of the way, handing out gold dust in San Francisco, stealing jewels because they're pretty or he felt like experimenting on them.

I remember when he caught Adric stealing something and scolded him "Do you thing it's right to take other people's property?"
Adric replied "Sometimes."
and the Doctor was caught flat footed and had to change the subject

That's not "always," that's post-reboot.

As for the gold dust, you're assuming it's stolen -- there was nothing in the TV movie to explain how the Doctor got those bags in the first place.

The only time in the original series I can recall the Doctor apparently stealing for personal profit or comfort, as opposed to immediate survival needs or to carry out some greater purpose, was in "The Romans" when he and his companions squatted in the a Roman villa and raided the larder and wine cellar because they decided they needed a vacation. There is of course the stolen TARDIS that started the Doctor's wanderings, but that was as much an act of rebellion as simple theft.

That's not post reboot - the Doctor has always been a thief, even to the tardis and who knows what inside <g> He never had a compunction against stealing anything if he was curious about it, to do some science experiments with.

His very first act after regenerating into Jon Pertwee was stealing everything left and right, from clothes to cars, and was very put out when the Brigadier insisted the car et all had to be returned. He then demanded that the Brigadier replace everything he rightfully stole, as if the Brigadier owed him for taking things back. His last act before regenerating was all about a crystal he stole from a cave that he wasn't welcome in, and his reaction was the same as it had been since the first Doctor - he thought it was curious and worth experimenting on, why shouldn't he take it?

As for the gold dust, I was pointing out he handed it out like he couldn't quite understand money, not saying it was stolen .. but now that you bring it up, he likely lifted it out of some mine or something <g>, maybe with Cybermen in mind.

Maybe you've missed over the years his pride in pick pocketing in all regenerations, and complete lack of understanding "some one else's", but it's been an ongoing character trait for decades.

Just occurred to me that you've been viewing the classics .. hope I didn't spoil 3's entrance and exit eps too much. Still fun to watch.