How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
With the baby near due now, the King refused to allow Azalea and her sisters to spend tea up in Mother's room, or even to visit longer than several minutes a day. (1.14)
It seems kinda harsh to not let children see their mother—but when we realize how seriously ill she is, well, it kinda makes sense. The King seems to make rules both to benefit others, and to feel like he's in control of a situation (even when he's not, because how do you control someone else's health?).
Quote #2
"Miss Azalea," he said, dipping his pen into the inkwell. "We have rules in this household, do we not?"
[…]
Azalea clenched her fists and bit back a sharp retort. Two years! Nearly two years she had run the household while Mother was ill, and he still made her knock! (1.55-60)
The King is certainly fond of his rules—he even makes his daughter knock every time she enters the library where he gets work done, despite the fact that she's got to come see him an awful lot since she's running the household now. Is this too extreme, or just a way of making sure things stay in order?
Quote #3
"One cannot run the country without laws; one cannot manage a household without rules. It is so." (1.64)
Guess who said this? Yep, it's the King. This is our surprised face. On a less snarky note, it's interesting how he draws a parallel between order in the family and order in the country. Are families like mini-countries, or are countries like enlarged families?