Quote 13
I stepped outside. Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people, so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me. (31.5)
It seems noteworthy that this scene – the first time we read about the "hand-hugging" – occurs in a sterile, empty prison corridor. Prison, of course, has got to be one of the loneliest places there is. The corridor outside the cell allows for some interaction, but there really isn't any place for warmth. So in this setting, does this greeting become more like an embrace, or does it make it seem that much colder?
Quote 14
Then, when I've got a degree in Maths, or Physics, or Maths and Physics, I will be able to get a job and earn lots of money and I will be able to pay someone who can look after me and cook my meals and wash my clothes, or I will get a lady to marry me and be my wife and she can look after me so I can have company and not be on my own. (71.8)
We might find this last line a little surprising, since Christopher seems to prefer being alone whenever he possibly can. But look – he practically equates hiring a live-in maid with getting a wife! This makes it pretty clear that he really has no interest living with anyone, but knows he's incapable of living alone.
Quote 15
These are some of my Behavioural Problems
A. Not talking to people for a long time [...]
K. Not noticing that people are angry with me. (73.2)
These two things illustrate "isolation" in very different ways. The former suggests a disinterest in other people, while the latter implies a disregard for others.