Let me offer a tiny line of dialogue that completely transforms the plot: “Quid pro quo.” That serves as the key transition in the story where Clarice agrees to Lecter’s deal: You tell me personal things about yourself and I’ll tell you stuff about Buffalo Bill. That leads Lecter to getting way inside Clarice’s head — specifically going against Crawford’s admonition — and leads to Clarice confronting her darkest shadow: the spring slaughter of the lambs on her uncle’s ranch.