How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
It was weird to come home and see her mom, just standing in the kitchen, like… like normal. She was making soup, chopping onions. Eleanor felt like crying. (4.16)
Eleanor's home life is so atypical that the sight of her mom doing a normal task like cooking triggers a really emotional response in Eleanor. It's a clue that these normal moments have probably been few and far between.
Quote #2
She wondered where the rest of the stuff from the old house had ended up. Not just her stuff, but everybody's. Like the furniture and the toys, and all of her mom's plants and paintings […] Maybe it was packed away somewhere. Maybe her mom was hoping the cave-troll house was just temporary.
Eleanor was still hoping that Richie was just temporary. (4.43-44)
Before Richie, Eleanor's home was troubled, but still far more like a normal home. When Richie takes over, even their possessions disappear—he's completely erased their former life.