Stealing(and getting caught) is wrong, but carrying stuff into the corner before you stuff it in your pockets is fine.
Stealing is wrong, and murder is wrong, but stealing stuff off the corpse of someone you murdered is just fine.
After a significant time of living in one spot, you will be able to connect to the psychic network of that location, and instantly know if someone there did something wrong and aggressively react unless they got away.
The longest a person can remember your face is 3 days. They have no trouble recognizing your name, conveniently flying over your head apparently, but they can't associate a name to a face unless it involves a measured reputation with a faction.
-Various Bethesda games