How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Dan is terrified of authority figures. (6.8)
Terror? What have authority figures done to the poor guy in the past? Now might be a good time to refresh yourself on Dan the Man by hopping over to the "Characters" section.
Quote #2
"I thought you were a good little Catholic girl." (7.50)
We wonder just how often words like these have led to the flagrant flouting of rules.
Quote #3
"I've never been so embarrassed in my life" (8.46).
Jason's mom says this after Jack Junior falls in the swimming pool. We are nearly speechless. This is her most embarrassing moment? What kind of rigid, socially ordered existence does she lead?
Quote #4
"You know what we need? Some commandments."
"I got enough trouble dealing with the first ten," Henry says.
"Ours will be easier." (10.62-64)
What compels Jason to create rules of all things? Is the only way to stop living by a set of rules to establish a new set of rules?
Quote #5
Dan was brought up to respect authority figures. (15.9)
Are there certain people that deserve our respect, just because of their position? And what should constitute an authority figure?
Quote #6
"You can't do that!" Dan says (18.1)
Of course it is rule-following, authority-fearing Dan that tries to tell Henry he can't saw through the water tank hatch padlock. Henry begs to differ.
Quote #7
The funny thing is, although I'm embarrassed at getting caught, I don't feel all that bad about climbing the Ten-legged One. What's the big deal? Nobody got hurt. Except Henry, and that was his own fault. (20.53)
This book raises all sorts of big life questions that can be answered a number of ways. Do you agree with Jason's assessment here? What constitutes doing something wrong—being told you have done so, or feeling like you have?
Quote #8
Of course, I know it was Henry's stooges—the Choots—who spray-painted the Ten-legged One. But I'm not going to rat them out. (27.15)
There is no love lost between Jason and the stooges. Why do you think he doesn't tell the police it must have been them who did the graffiti? We think it could be out of loyalty to Henry, but also because Jason is in the process of questioning and rejecting the rules around him.
Quote #9
"Look, I didn't do it, okay? Last time I was up there I nearly drowned, and Henry got all busted up, and they're making us pay for replacing all the water and I'm grounded for the rest of my natural life. Believe me, the view wasn't worth it. I'm not the mad graffiti climber you take me for. […] I'm telling you the truth. I've climbed my last tower." (27.19)
Jason initially said he doesn't feel bad about climbing the tower—just embarrassed about getting caught. Here all the consequences have caught up to him. How often do we follow rules or the law out of fear of consequences, instead of it just being the right thing to do?