How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I would watch the world through her dresses. I could see everything, but no one could see me. Like a fort, a hiding place under the covers." (18.27)
Jonathan's story about his grandmother is pretty touching. No wonder he wants to protect her by being careful of what details he mentions in his stories; when he was a child, his grandmother protected him.
Quote #8
I would remove [Father] from my life if I was not such a coward. (22.3)
Families can be kind of like prisons. They're hard to get out of, and you can't just kick someone out easily. Alex is stuck with his father; at least, that's what it feels like until he gets up the guts to kick him out of the house.
Quote #9
"I am his grandson," I said from the back, which made me feel like such a proud person, because I think it was the first occasion I had ever said it in the loud, and I could perceive that it also made Grandfather a proud person. (23.3)
Alex feels good getting to identify with a member of his family, since he sure doesn't want to identify with his jerk of a father. But Grandfather feels good too: he may have raised that jerk of a father, but he did something right with his own grandson.