How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The end of strife and conflict of all kinds had also meant the virtual end of creative art. (6.35)
And here's the bad. With strife and conflict gone—both personal conflicts and larger ones like war—humanity lacks the means to create decent art in the form of books, movies, paintings and so on. Yes, you read that right: Childhood's End sees the downside of a war-free world.
Quote #5
[…], and George noticed for the first time that [Rashaverak] had two opposed thumbs, with five fingers between them. I'd hate to do arithmetic, George thought to himself, in a system based on fourteen. (7.52)
This is an odd little detail, but it's pretty interesting when you think about it. Just consider how much of our life and existence is based on the fact that every human in the world has ten fingers. Pretty neat, right?
Quote #6
"With your low gravity," answered Sullivan. "I should have thought you would have had some very large animals. After all, look how much bigger you are than us!"
"Yes—but we have no oceans. And where size is concerned, the land can never compete with the sea." (13.19-20)
Another little detail with some fascinating implications for this theme. Life on this planet has developed largely because of, well, the planet it developed on. It's another example of Childhood's End looking at that larger picture.