i'm lewis littleton. good morning, mr. banker. i need another loan to buy a new stove for my restaurant. very direct. i like that. how much do you need ? - three thousand dollars. - have a seat, mr. brashov. i want you to know... that business at crossroads cafe is getting better every week. we have good food, good service and good prices. unfortunately, mr. brashov our records tell a different story. you're experiencing, what we in the banking business call a downward profit curve. "a downward profit curve" ? what is that, exactly ? it means that we've put a sharp pencil to the figures and your expenses are too high. "a sharp pencil" ? it's just a figure of speech if you know what i mean ? - i don't understand. - and i don't understand what there is to not understand. let me try it this way. debits. profits. you simply must reduce your debits. now, what could be more clear than that ? i have too many "debits" ? exactly ! whatever they are, i assure you i can get rid of them. if i got rid of the flies last summer i can get rid of