How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
But he stank, and for some reason that set his nerves on a sharp wire, cutting into the solid block of his sanity. (1.6)
Want to know something that'll make you go insane even if you don't have the Flare? Smelling bad. You just can't ignore that, folks.
Quote #2
The madness took away every ounce of what made him who he was—what made him human. (9.8)
As Thomas describes it, this is how the Flare affects people: it strips them of their humanity, and everything that once made them human no longer functions. Yeah, that's a bit depressing.
Quote #3
Cranks who had lived with the Flare infection so long that it had eaten away at their brains until they were completely insane. Almost like animals in human form. (15.6)
Like we said earlier, people who are past the "Gone" are pretty much animals. But they're still human. So basically, they're animal-humans, which are super scary.
Quote #4
"He was trying to eat chairs and spitting and yelling and ripping his own hair out."
"I saw him too," Jorge added. "He got past the guards one day. He ran through the halls naked, screaming at the top of his lungs about beetles in his veins." (24.12)
Come on, people: how much crazier can someone possibly get? First place of the Krazy Kompetition goes to: Gally. How did he get this way?
Quote #5
"The fact that you were already seeing symptoms of anger and loss of concentration before you left means he'll be spiraling into madness very soon." (32.15)
Another problem with the Flare is that it works rapidly. For people who catch it, there isn't much time for them to search for some kind of cure—which means that they can start going cray-cray just from the psychological stress, even before they're actually being affected by the disease itself.
Quote #6
Someone talking too loudly, a scream, an odd laugh. As the light faded to darkness, he began to feel more and more spooked. (33.1)
Imagine this as your everyday walk to the office. That's what Thomas has to experience in a daily basis in Denver, and it ain't pretty. There's danger around every corner.
Quote #7
The group started walking again, but Thomas couldn't tear his eyes away from the disturbing scene. What was that guy doing? (34.19)
Oddly enough, madness can be pretty attractive—at least in the sense that crazy people have a tendency to really attract your attention. As Thomas learns, there's just something about terrifying sights that really reels people in.
Quote #8
The first word that popped into Thomas's mind was madhouse, and he realized that it was almost literally true. Cranks were everywhere. (37.26)
What's worse than a bunch of crazy people roaming the streets of a major city? A whole entire critical mass of crazy people all over the city, inside and outside, just doing their thing like they own the place.
Quote #9
To Thomas, everyone's actions and mannerisms seemed... exaggerated. Some people were laughing hysterically, a wildness in their eyes, as they slapped each other's backs roughly. Others cried uncontrollably, sobbing all alone on the ground or walking in circles, faces in their hands. (37.27)
The terms "crazy" or "mad" can be pretty general, so here's a good example of what we mean when we talk about madness in this book. When people's brains are being affected by the Flare, they don't just laugh a lot with their tongue out and scream. They cry, too. They get scared. They get happy. They get dangerous. Every emotion gets heightened from the madness, which causes these people to become hyperbolic hot messes.
Quote #10
Thomas hated what he was seeing—the complete wildness that had taken over Newt... Minho's shoulders slumped, and his eyes fell to the floor. "How did the world get so shucked?" (39.29)
That's a good question, Minho. When something bad happens to someone you're close to, the problem suddenly becomes much more real.