How much did they first pay you to give up on your dreams?
Ryan and Natalie sit on one side of the table. Bob waits on the other. Ryan has been through this process before, serving as the corporate Grim Reaper hacking away at peoples’ livelihoods with his scythe: a folder of information on how to make the best out of getting fired. Natalie has not. She winces as Bob lashes out at them, for bearing the message that his job, his home, his children’s financial support — they’re all gone. But Ryan, whose job it is to make these firings less tense and uncomfortable, calmly looks over Bob’s resume. Ryan takes note that Bob used to have a strong interest in the culinary arts before he was integrated into the giant corporate machine. Ryan stares directly at Bob and asks, “How much did they first pay you to give up on your dreams?” The line is brilliant — a cross between wistful memories and painful reality. But more than that, it sets the theme for the rest of the film, and by the end, it is a question that Ryan is forced to wonder himself.