How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
All the happiest moments of my childhood were a lie. They were all wrong and unsafe and illegal. They were freakish. (9.8)
Up until this point in Lena's life, she always thought she had a happy childhood. However, the more Lena retreats inside herself, the more she sees her mother's loving treatment of her as a betrayal. That's how you know Delirium's Portland is totally backwards: a happy childhood somehow becomes a bad thing.
Quote #5
Is it possible that all this time I've been lied to my whole life, studying for tests, taking long runs with Hana—and this other world just existed, running alongside and underneath mine, alive, ready to sneak out of the shadows and alleyways as soon as the sun goes down? (9.69)
This revelation is kind of a typical coming-of-age trope. Waking up one day and feeling like everything you believed in as a kid was a lie is actually totally normal. You know, Santa Claus. The Muppets. And so on. But in Lena's world, what she believed in included world peace and the government. Nothing is sacred, you see.
Quote #6
"I'm not who you think I am." (10.72)
These seven words are the last thing Lena wants to hear from Alex. She's so insecure with herself, she's been practically counting down the days until Alex betrays her. So when he tells her this, she runs away without giving him any opportunity to explain himself.