ethics in mail delivery

Chloe had a questionable habit of borrowing her neighbor's magazines from the mailbox. Both girls shared a box with the other tenant on the floor, Mrs. Wong, who mostly only received type-written envelopes from obscure organizations such as The International Center for Psychic Research and The Knitters' Defense Fund. Bonnie Maloney, for her part, received a continuous subscription to all manner of fashion magazines, also, Newsweek. These were magazines which mildly interested Chloe, but not nearly enough to commit to a $19/year subscription. Besides, it was more exciting to borrow them.

Chloe was always the first to get to the mailbox in the late afternoons, right after Mr. Cho, the mailman, made his delivery. If there was a magazine in the box, she grabbed it along with her own mail. She was always sure to read the magazine that very evening, reading (or flipping) through its entirety, devouring its contents in an hour or two or three. The next afternoon, she carefully placed the magazine back into the mailbox, as if Mr. Cho had delivered it that afternoon. Each time, Chloe prided herself on the near-virginal appearance of the now-day-old magazine, betraying only the slightest hint of use. No harm done, Chloe figured, except maybe Bonnie's assessment of Mr. Cho, who she probably thought an unpunctual and careless mailman.