The House of the Scorpion Power Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

El Patrón laughed. "That's the stuff, Mi Vida. Get rid of your enemies when you can. I don't like Tom either, and dinner will be better without him." (11.30)

If El Patrón is happy about something, it probably means that it's not a good thing. And this scene is no exception.

Quote #2

"We don't always know who might be listening." Again Celia looked around, and Matt remembered what Tam Lin had told him about hidden cameras in the house. (13.23)

We hear about the surveillance system at the Big House a couple of times, and each time we hear about it we get a reminder about just how powerful (and power-crazed) El Patrón is. After all, the real power is knowledge. If he knows what's going on in these people's lives, he can use that information to control them.

Quote #3

"There's been enough damn secrecy around this place! There's been enough damn lies!"
"Please," Celia said urgently, placing her hand on Tam Lin's arm. "The cameras - " (19.23-4)

Tam Lin's meltdown, and Celia's reminder, show just how trapped they are in El Patrón's fishbowl of a mansion.