How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
It was only the second house the real estate agent showed him, but he took it because he was tired and because the agent was a bully. (7.3)
Homer is so passive that he can't even stand up to a real estate agent, so we shudder to think what might happen if some real trouble were to come his way. Would he be able to handle it? Or would he just curl up into a fetal position and suck his thumb?
Quote #2
His hands seemed to have a life and a will of their own. It was they who pulled the sheets tight and shaped the pillows. (10.2)
The book frequently references the strange divide between Homer and his hands. In a way, this is a reflection of the separation between Homer's conscious and unconscious mind—because he is unable to understand his emotions, he's unable to understand his own actions.
Quote #3
After she had gone, he wondered what living with her would do to Homer. He thought it might straighten him out. (19.6)
At first, Tod thinks that living with Faye will do wonders for Homer and his lack of self-confidence. After all, what's a better pick-me-up than a sexy lady running around the house? Ah, if only it were that simple...
Quote #4
They had breakfast around ten, she went on. Homer brought it to her in bed. He took a housekeeping magazine and fixed the tray like the pictures in it. (19.11)
Instead of empowering Homer, Faye turns him into a bona fide servant. Homer doesn't mind too much, naturally, as he's always found a great deal of relief in doing housework. Regardless, Tod sees Faye taking advantage of Homer, but he knows that the big galoot is incapable of putting his foot down, so, like much else in this novel, there's not anything Tod himself can do about it.
Quote #5
His servility was like that of a cringing, clumsy dog, who is always anticipating a blow [...] and in a way that makes overwhelming the desire to strike him. (20.3)
As the novel continues, Tod loses sympathy for Homer and instead starts despising him for being passive. Maybe he's fed up. Maybe he's jealous of Homer's relationship with Faye. Or maybe he just realizes that Homer is incapable of change.
Quote #6
He opened his mouth to reply and she poured the brandy into it, then clapped her hands over his lips so that he couldn't spit it back. (20.25)
Wow—does this count as assault? If not, then it's at least a party foul, right? Jokes aside, you know that you're being overly passive when someone can just shove a drink down your throat without repercussions. How does something like that even happen?
Quote #7
When she turned to Homer again, he leaned away as though she were going to hit him. She flushed with shame at this and looked at Tod to see if he had noticed (20.126)
This passage seems to imply that Faye is literally physically abusive toward Homer. This shouldn't be all that surprising, of course, given that we've already witnessed Faye punching her dad in the face for laughing too hard. Plus, we're pretty confident that Homer would never raise a finger towards her if she did hit him, no matter how hard her pint-sized punches got.
Quote #8
"But that'll only get rid of the Mexican," Tod said. "You have to throw Earle out yourself." (22.80)
At this point, Homer is hopeless. Faye's ex-boyfriend is living in Homer's garage. That ex-boyfriend's best friend is hosting chicken fights in the front yard. Both of them flirt with Faye like whoa. If that's not grounds to boot them, then we don't know what is.
Quote #9
The red velvet curtains were all drawn tight, but he could see Homer sitting on the couch and staring at the back of his hands. (24.4)
Faye's departure sends Homer into a passive trance the likes of which the world has never seen: he hardly moves or says a word. If you're asking us, we'd say that the overwhelming emotional experience of the past few days just straight-up broke the dude.
Quote #10
Homer walked more than ever like a badly made automaton and his features were set in a rigid, mechanical grin. (27.23)
Yup, good old Hollywood pretty much turns people into robots. It makes sense: if everything and everyone in Hollywood is fake, just a surface with nothing substantial underneath it, then the only way to get by is to become just a surface yourself. Just about everyone in this book has been so busy hiding his or her true self that it's hard to say if any true selves are even left anywhere.