The Mysterious Benedict Society Power Quotes

One way that Mr. Curtain maintains his power and control at the Institute is by making sure that the students never have a chance to compare notes. No, we don't mean compare their class notes; those would all look exactly the same, right? Poison apples, poison worms, the free market must remain free, and all that malarkey.

We mean compare notes as in talk about the school, Mr. C, the Executives, the Messengers; we mean take a minute to commiserate, or maybe even to question. By forbidding the students to talk privately, he takes away any chance they have of organizing any opposition.

This is the "logical conclusion" of one of the lessons at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, and with each student that absorbs it, Mr. Curtain is one step closer to implementing his strategy of using fear to gain—and maintain—control. (Insert evil laughter here.) But what's the truth hidden in the lesson? And what takes this truth and turns it into nonsense?

Here's a hint: when you take a multiple-choice test, you should always be wary of answers that include the words never or always, because there are usually exceptions. Same's true here with the words "anything" and "everything"—they take a sentiment that's half-true and make it ridiculous.

This is one of the times in the book when Mr. Curtain's obsession with control actually backfires on him. For one thing, the way he keeps saying it's the key is what clues Reynie in that it's his password. And for another, instead of just expelling Constance, which was his first instinct, he chooses to take Reynie's advice and keep her close, where he can keep an eye on her, and—let's say it together—control her. Ha—good luck with that.

Whoa. Anybody need an extra slice of ego? Because it looks like Mr. C's got some to spare. Okay, so he's a genius and he's figured out how to use the sea to generate lots of energy with his fancy-shmancy turbines (like a lot of other folks). But he's not controlling the sea—he's just harnessing a little bit of its power. And frankly we'd be shocked to hear Mark Rutte or any other Dutch Prime Ministers claim that the Netherlands controls the sea. Flood control is one thing, and they can take a big bow for that, but controlling the sea? Please. Let's leave that to Aquaman.

First, ick: "Must find the best way to make use of this"? What a creep. But second, do you think he's right? Can ambition, love, and despair all be connected to fear? Is it really at the root of everything we do? See if you can make an argument for it both ways.

What's the difference between real control and the illusion of control? In what ways does Mr. Curtain have control of the students and workers at the Institute? In what ways is his control just an illusion?

Oops—Mr. C had a little Freudian slip there, didn't he? "Manipulate" is exactly what he meant, because that is in fact what he does—he manipulates circumstances and situations. But he didn't mean to say it out loud, which is why he quickly replaces it with "manage." Hmm. Does this represent a slight loss of control on Mr. C's part? Perhaps it's even a hint that he's not quite as in control as he likes everyone to think.

Wait a minute… didn't Mr. C write in his journal that there was no such thing as perfect control? So then how can the Whispering Gallery be perfectly controlled? Answer: it can't. Which means that once again Mr. C is counting on the illusion of perfect control to impress upon Reynie and George just how powerless they are here. And if they believe him, then yeah, perfect control and the illusion of perfect control amount to pretty much the same thing.

Unfortunately for Mr. C, there are people in the world who wish to confront their fears. In fact, it seems like S.Q. is one of those people, because he nods enthusiastically at the idea until he realizes he's supposed to be shaking his head like Martina. So if there are people who not only wish to confront their fears, but who choose to—people like Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance—where does that leave Mr. Curtain and his theory that fear drives all human behavior? We'll tell you where: out of control.

And of course control (the Dutch spelling, with an e on the end), does turn out to be Mr. Curtain's password. Gee, Mr. C—obsess much? For a genius, Ledroptha's password creation skills leave a bit to be desired. If controle hadn't worked, the kids probably could have broken in with password or 123456. (Let this be a lesson to you, Shmoopsters: put a little more effort into generating your passwords, or risk being outsmarted by, well, anyone who's trying.)