How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Confusion, Curiosity. Panic. Fear. But laced through it all was the dark feeling of utter hopelessness, like the world had ended for him, had been wiped from his memory and replaced with something awful. (2.12)
Ding, ding, ding! That's exactly what happened. Someone has toyed with his memory for funsies. Yikes. Other than puppetry, is there any other kind of manipulation that doesn't involve messing with someone's mind?
Quote #2
They'd wiped his memory and put him inside a gigantic maze. It was all so crazy it really did seem funny. (4.39)
Funny isn't exactly the word we would choose. Sadistic, unethical, inhumane, appalling, take your pick. But maybe that was the only emotion Thomas was capable of expressing during his time of shock. Have you ever been so scared that you laugh inappropriately? Maybe that's what we're dealing with here.
Quote #3
How could a maze, with walls so massive and tall, be so big that dozens of kids hadn't been able to solve it after who knew how long trying? How could such a structure exist? And more importantly, why? What could possibly be the purpose of such a thing? Why were they all there? (6.38)
Isn't that the worst part of being manipulated, that sometimes you just can't figure out why you're being toyed with? If there were some kind of justification that you could understand maybe it would be easier to cope with. Not that that's true for these kids—their lives are on the line.