How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Tendai listened to the birdsong in the garden. He couldn't ask about the Scout trip now. They were going to spend another long, boring day locked up in the house. All because Father was afraid they would get kidnapped. (1.46)
Ugh. Tendai is so sick and tired of being locked up in the house. Sure, he has a robot to do his chores and another to cook him food, but he wants to be free and roam the city by himself. While other kids his age get more and more freedom, Tendai is stuck at home every single day.
Quote #2
He had never entered a noisy schoolyard. He had never played a team sport or shared a lunch with other children at a crowded table. Father was too worried about his enemies. (2.12)
We totally get wanting to protect your kids from your enemies—but that's not what gets the kids kidnapped. It's their over-trusting nature when they venture off into the city for the first time by themselves. The General means well, but he traps the kids in a state of dependence.
Quote #3
Even Scout meetings were held via holoscreen, Tendai thought glumly. The merit badges were sent by mail. He had earned them all in the garden or at specially fortified places Father trusted. (2.19)
It sounds pretty bad, but then again, maybe the world is a dark, scary place. After all, the kids get snatched the first time they leave the house. Perhaps the General is right that they need to be confined to the house instead of free to go wherever they choose.