How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Too much. It was all too much. (43.25)
That's a pretty accurate way to sum everything up for the Gladers. Thanks, Thomas, for the insight.
Quote #8
The image of the sick boy, Ben, being Banished back in the Glade swam back into his brain. An odd time to think it, but now he knew how that kid had felt in those last seconds..." (51.37)
Thomas thinks about Ben right while he himself is being closed off by Teresa and Aris. Understanding someone else's suffering—in this case knowing Ben's—is a direct path to feeling empathy.
Quote #9
Though he certainly didn't think of himself this way, he and the others were just kids. Kids! (54.11)
Yeah, we should probably keep in mind that all of this suffering is being experienced by kids. It's one thing for a bunch of grown adults to be suffering through WICKED's trials, but these are just kids—their brains haven't fully developed, and their lives haven't really been lived yet.