How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Emmy, the events we lived through taught me to be sure of nothing about other people. They taught me to expect danger around every corner. They taught me to understand that there are people in this world who mean you harm. And sometimes, they're people who say they love you. (P.5)
Matthew's upbringing isn't exactly conducive to a healthy outlook on life. Instead of trusting people or believing in the good of the world, he's filled with pessimism and fear. After all, people are pretty awful sometimes.
Quote #2
It wasn't really his fault, that he was so useless. My dad was afraid of our mother. He kept out of her way. On the few occasions they were in the same room together, he wouldn't even meet her eyes. I didn't blame him for it too much. I understood. She was unpredictable. (1.6)
Ben is not exactly the best role model—instead of standing up to Nikki and telling her that she needs to stop mistreating the kids, he just skulks away. He's just as scared as the rest of them.
Quote #3
You could smell the kid's fear floating on the stale, air-conditioned store air. He stole one little look behind Murdoch at the big man, and you could see him thinking, I'll have to pay for this later. (1.29)
When Matthew and Callie see that kid being yelled at for taking a bag of candy, they freeze up. That's because they recognize his fear and the way that his father is speaking to him; they know what it's like to be utterly terrified of a parent.