How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Cobo went over and talked to Toon, and you could see Toon was freaking out. (4.12)
In Progress, it's not okay to show fear, even when you feel it. Toon wears his feelings on his sleeve, which is one reason he gets singled out for bullying.
Quote #2
Sometimes Mr. Pugh would stop and flinch like he was going to do something. I just held on to the belt. He was letting me know that at any moment he could stop and punch me in the face. I was knowing it. (6.22)
Reese has to live with the threat of violence, not just from his fellow inmates, but also from the people in charge. No rest for the weary when it comes to fear in prison.
Quote #3
Mr. Pugh uncuffed me. When I stood up, I almost fell down, my legs were shaking so bad. (6.45)
Reese doesn't just fear violence; he's also afraid of what would happen if he were transferred to another facility—which Mr. Cintron threatens to do. Gulp.
Quote #4
Just the way King Kong was messing with me, I knew the streets were waiting to mess with me. (11.4)
Reese feels a lot of fear and anxiety about his future release because he knows he'll have to go home, and home isn't exactly a happy place for him. He has plenty to be afraid of there, too.
Quote #5
"He punked you out," I said. "You were too scared to deal." "I don't know exactly what you are saying," Mr. Hooft said. "What I know is that I was afraid of the Japanese." (13.28)
Though Mr. Hooft and Reese are very different, they bond over conversations about the fear they've experienced in their lives. In this way, fear can be a source of connection instead of isolation.
Quote #6
"The thing to remember is that violence doesn't stop affecting us when we get behind closed doors. The threat is always there in our subconscious." (16.16)
Miss Rossetti points out that fear of violence can affect you all day, every day, no matter where you are or what you're doing. That's pretty haunting stuff.
Quote #7
"Sometimes I'm afraid that my father will be disappointed in me." (16.19)
Toon's worst fear, which he shares in group therapy, may sound like not such a big deal, but he feels it so intensely that he tries to kill himself. So yeah, it's a major fear of his.
Quote #8
I was most afraid that my whole life was going to be about being in places like Progress. (17.10)
Reese lives with a lot of fear from day to day, but his worst fear is that he'll be in and out of jail for the rest of his life. We have our fingers crossed for him.
Quote #9
Sometimes, when I see Toon, I think he looks like how I would look if I could see inside myself. Little and stupid looking and scared, knowing I was going to get beat up every day. (22.2)
Though Reese acts tough when he gets into fights, we know that he feels scared all the time. You know, because he tells us—all the time.
Quote #10
What I told myself was that the detectives wouldn't come after six, but I kept looking at the door anyway. Every time it opened, my heart jumped a little. (31.59)
Reese is scared to death that he's been blamed for a crime he didn't commit. Between that and the violence at Progress, he seems to live in a state of constant fear. It must be pretty exhausting to always be on edge like this.