How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Lizzie nodded, smiling smugly. "Looper says it's all going to be gone soon anyway, why not live as well as we can right now?" (11.85)
Yes, because scarcity is an excellent reason to act greedily. Highly recommended as a course of action. Not.
Quote #8
"That's the solution he keeps telling us about. It's a solution for him, not the rest of us. He gets everything he needs, and we get the leftovers! He doesn't care about the city. All he cares about is his fat stomach!" (12.22)
Well said, Doon. After putting the puzzle pieces together and realizing that the mayor is one of the people stealing food from the storerooms and secretly stashing it away, Doon gets angry at the mayor for lying to the people of Ember. Because the mayor says stuff like "solutions are being found," which is technically true—if he's the only person who deserves a solution. His greed must be skewing his judgment. We're not into fat-shaming, but we kind of have to agree with Doon: his greed has made him care only about his own (rather large) stomach.
Quote #9
The thought of taking Poppy with her on the river, which had darted into Lina's mind, darted out again. I'm only being selfish, she thought, to want to have her with me. It's too dangerous to take her. Mrs. Murdo will bring her in a day or two. (15.81)
Yeah, wanting to have your family close to you makes you soooo selfish, Lina. We wonder whether this thought is motivated partly by guilt from neglecting Poppy earlier and putting her in danger during the long blackout. Feelings of guilt and greed can make it really hard to sort out what the ethical thing to do is.