I would say, my dear fellow, that you were posing for a character that doesn’t suit you. All crime is vulgar, just as all vulgarity is crime. It is not in you, Dorian, to commit a murder. I am sorry if I hurt your vanity by saying so, but I assure you it is true. Crime belongs exclusively to the lower orders.

– Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 19. This is Lord Henry’s reply when during a discussion on Basil’s disappearance Dorian asks Henry what he would say if he told him he had murdered Basil. Henry accuses Dorian of playing a character part that doesn’t suit him. He doesn’t believe Dorian has it in him to murder, and claims that only the lower classes would commit such a terrible crime as murder. He even apologizes for hurting Dorian’s vanity. This passage is ironic because we know that Dorian, who comes from the wealthy classes, has murdered Basil.