Oh, I totally didn't even think of the fact that Clark was stealing when he stole the briefcase. Not very Supermanly!
Yeah, Clark still hasn't gotten to the point where he understands/believes that he's got to stay within the boundaries of the law for all aspects of his investigations. He gets the big picture stuff, like, you know, not killing the bad guy just 'cause he's the bad guy, but he's a little shaky on the smaller details, like the fact that breaking and entering, for example, is only acceptable under exigent circumstances. You can't do it just to satisfy your curiosity/prove your hunches; lives actually have to be at stake in that moment. Part of what makes Superman so interesting as a crime-fighter is that while he's technically a vigilante -- because he's not acting under official color of law -- he does try very hard to say within the confines of the law. He's careful about the collection of evidence and the like; he tries to be respectful of the fact that even suspected criminals have certain rights. Clark's still got a learning curve in that regard because he's still doing the math of "I think this is hinky" = "I can do whatever I want to prove that it's hinky."
part II
Yeah, Clark still hasn't gotten to the point where he understands/believes that he's got to stay within the boundaries of the law for all aspects of his investigations. He gets the big picture stuff, like, you know, not killing the bad guy just 'cause he's the bad guy, but he's a little shaky on the smaller details, like the fact that breaking and entering, for example, is only acceptable under exigent circumstances. You can't do it just to satisfy your curiosity/prove your hunches; lives actually have to be at stake in that moment. Part of what makes Superman so interesting as a crime-fighter is that while he's technically a vigilante -- because he's not acting under official color of law -- he does try very hard to say within the confines of the law. He's careful about the collection of evidence and the like; he tries to be respectful of the fact that even suspected criminals have certain rights. Clark's still got a learning curve in that regard because he's still doing the math of "I think this is hinky" = "I can do whatever I want to prove that it's hinky."