How we cite our quotes: (Chapter, Paragraph)
Quote #1
The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say. About anything. (1.1)
Okay, well this is a different type of communication than you find in most books. In the first sentence, Todd sets the stage for a world where animals can talk. Importantly, though, they have nothing useful to say, so it's more of an annoyance than anything else. Or so Todd thinks. At any rate, he seems pretty bothered by Manchee's chatter.
Quote #2
"Language, young Todd," he says, "binds us like prisoners on a chain. Haven't you learned anything from yer church, boy?" And then he says his most familiar preaching. "If one falls, we all fall."
Yes, Aaron, I think."With yer mouth, Todd."
"Yes, Aaron," I say. (1.33-36)
There are two forms of communication—mental and verbal—and they're basically the same, since everyone can read each other's thoughts like words. But there's a tension between what people choose to say and what's heard in their Noise.