How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Take a lamp, for instance. When you plug it in, it comes alive, in a way. It lights up. That's because it's connected to a wire that's connected to the generator, which is making electricity, though don't ask me how. But a bean seed isn't connected to anything. Neither are people." (4.92)
Clary lays it out for us: people and plants must be powered by something, but it's invisible, unlike the cords that lamps and other electronics need to power them. What fuels us? What makes us alive, and what makes us dead? The people of Ember have a basic grasp of these issues (as in, they know how to keep people alive, and how to tell when they're dead), but as far as the deeper reasons go, they're pretty clueless. (Though to be fair, we are too, when you get into philosophical questions like why we're on this planet, and so on.)
Quote #5
"The trouble with anger is, it gets hold of you. And then you aren't the master of yourself anymore. Anger is." (6.34)
Doon's father is spot on: anger is one of those emotions that will gain power over you if you let it. And seriously, who wants to be a slave to their anger? Just ask Darth Vader.
Quote #6
What difference would it make if she had the colored paper, or the shoes? She suddenly wanted those things so badly she felt weak. (11.77)
As Lina discovers, greed can gain power over you pretty easily. It's so simple to justify wanting something, and needing it, and having it. It's a total slippery slope. Luckily Lina is pretty powerful on her own. She has a sense of empathy for the other people in Ember, so she knows that it wouldn't be fair for her and a few others to hog all the good stuff. But she was still tempted, which shows how powerful selfishness can be.