How we cite our quotes: Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #4
She wasn't entirely sure what to make of his family history, but nonetheless sensed something vulnerable in Bob, something lonely and worthy of love. (26.44)
Lucy's take on Bob is a little odd, because she seems to be linking "lonely" with "worthy of love." Why would the two be connected? Does everyone deserve to be loved?
Quote #5
He [Bob] trembled at the thought of Lucy; a bubble of happiness exploded in his chest. We, he thought. Lucy and me: together. He marveled at the power of this human girl to make the terrible solitude of his life recede. This was what happiness felt like—this wondrous, miraculous alternative to dread. (33.22)
Poor Bob. Horny, depressed, and also in a constant state of dread. We're not sure what he's been dreading, but maybe it has something to do with, oh, being alone forever? Which, in the case of an immortal, literally is forever.
Quote #6
No world was as beautiful as this world he'd created, Bob thought, none so delicately poised between life and death. Mr. B might berate the short-lived race he'd made, berated it all the time, in fact. But he was proud of the experiment, proud of the weird evanescence all those short lives produced. OK, maybe it wasn't so nice for them, but at least they didn't drag along day after bloody day, always the same. Always alone. (34.22)
Okay, here's the big answer to why God made us mortal: so we'd appreciate being alive. See, Bob doesn't get too much of a kick out of the whole immortal thing, since there's nothing to make being alive seem special. Um, OK. Thanks? We guess.