How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
He carries nothing. Or at least he appears to carry nothing, not an umbrella even though it looks like rain, or a briefcase though it's rush hour, and around him, stopped against the wind, people are making their way home to their warm houses at the edge of the city where their children lean over their homework at the kitchen table, the smell of dinner in the air, and probably a dog, because there is always a dog in such houses. (2.67)
Although this one's an excerpt from The History of Love, it's not difficult to imagine this describing Leo in downtown Manhattan—he has nothing, yet all around him is everything.
Quote #8
From then on, I took an even greater pride in my work. I'd bring the most difficult locks home and time myself. Then I'd cut the time in half and practice until I got there. I'd keep at it until I couldn't feel my fingers. (7.66)
This is a rather potent image of the emptiness of Leo's emotional life, and how he uses his work to fill the void in his home that might otherwise be filled with family, pets, writing, and so on.
Quote #9
He learned to live with the truth. Not to accept it, but to live with it. It was like living with an elephant. His room was tiny, and every morning he had to squeeze around the truth just to get to the bathroom. To reach the armoire to get a pair of underpants he had to crawl under the truth, praying it wouldn't choose that moment to sit on his face. At night, when he closed his eyes, he felt it looming above him. (9.11)
When we leave the house, we put on armor to face the world. At home, we take off our shoes, our coat, our hat—and let our guard down. This leaves Litvinoff armorless, defenseless against a flood of painful memories and realities. (Also: how does Litvinoff's crawling around his apartment remind you of the opening paragraph of the book?)