My library book is due today, but I’m not done with it yetI can’t renew it, because the library put it on hold for someone else. I’m willing to pay the penalty of 25 cents a day so I can keep reading. May I do that, or must I return the book? —Rachel, Salem, Oregon

YOU MUST return the book on time. That 25-cent charge isn’t a rental fee but an incentive to return the book promptly. The fact that the fee isn’t high enough to provide a proper incentivesay, $25 a daydoesn’t give you the freedom to hang on to a popular book past its due date. Similarly, the ability to pay a speeding ticket doesn’t make it OK to speed. The public library is a great institution. You should honor the intent of the 25-cents-a-day fine rather than embrace some sort of money-talks philosophy.
UPDATE: Rachel returned the book on time; she’ll check it out again.

—Adapted fromThe Ethicistin The New York Times Magazine