How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
I am what I have become because of the interference and secrets of one creature. Had things been done differently, my life would have been a whole other enchilada. I would not be where I am today and I would have had a life worth living instead of the nightmare my life has become. (Prologue.12)
Does Nick not realize that he is contradicting what he just said about controlling his own destiny and life? It's possible the person talking here is actually future Nick, who goes by the alias Ambrose. By going back into the past, Nick wants to see if he can change his own destiny. (But then wouldn't the future be different, anyway? So how could future you go back in the past to fix things if things have already been fixed, and future you is already just fine? Don't ask us.)
Quote #5
His mom had already road-mapped his entire future with no diversions or pit stops allowed. (1.12)
As a teenager, it can be especially difficult to believe that you have any sort of free will, since your parents control everything you do. And when you're parents aren't controlling you, then there's school. And then at school, there is the terrifying, Darwinian nature of social life that controls you, too. Yikes.
Quote #6
You were human once too with no knowledge of your true birth or destiny. (7.156)
This is Acheron thinking to himself. That whole paragraph from the prologue about the freight train was Acheron's theory of free will, as explained to Nick. So it makes sense that Acheron feels he has a destiny. He feels his own life is mostly out of his control.