How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Some things are best not thought about."
"I have to," said Theo. "I have to understand. You know what happened in Dorning. I swore then I'd never try to take another man's life. Killing is wrong. I believed that. I still do. But now I wonder. Do I believe it because I want to be a decent man? Or—because I'm a coward?" (19.28-29)
Theo went from not ever wanting to kill to questioning his beliefs. Shifts like this are part of growing up. When faced with a dire situation, what do you do—defend your morals to the core, or base your decisions on reality?
Quote #2
"That's the trouble, don't you see? When I ran into the count, I thought it would be a chance to see the rest of the world. That's really what I wanted. Not swindling people with elixirs made from ditch water, or claiming to raise ghosts. Least of all, trying to kill someone. But I've done all that. Even getting you out of jail, I lied like a thief. Worse, it didn't bother me at all. What kind of person does that make me?" (20.31)
Theo's always dreamt of being the most honest guy in the room, but he has to admit to himself that hanging with Las Bombas has made him an accomplice to a swindler… and he likes it. What kind of person does this make him? Is he the same dude?
Quote #3
"No business of mine," said Musket. "For all I know, he can't stomach the world as he finds it. Can you?"
Theo did not answer. He turned back to rubbing down Friska. He had been more comfortable when he had been able to judge Las Bombas a complete rogue. (6.29-30)
Once again, Theo finds himself confronted with the truth—he can't put everyone into a neat little box. Las Bombas may be a trickster, but he's a good guy. How do those two ideas reconcile themselves… or do they? It's uncomfortable for Big T to think about.
Quote #4
Las Bombas delved into his bulging pockets and tossed handfuls of coins into the air. "Look at this. So much that I lost count of it."
"No matter how you add it up," muttered Theo, "it still comes to a fraud."
"Indeed it does, my boy," Las Bombas happily answered. "The best I've struck on. Credit where it's due, I have you to thank. You thought of it, you put me onto it. A brilliant notion, and it's all yours."
Theo said nothing in reply. He was ashamed of himself, appalled that his scheme had worked so well. He also had to admit that he was not entirely displeased. (11.6-9)
He's all grown up. Theo came up with the Oracle Priestess scam, which he then decries as a fraud… but it was his idea, and he's proud. If he's like Las Bombas, what kind of person does that make him? Really, it makes him just human.
Quote #5
He spoke apart with the auburn-haired Zara for a moment, and turned back to Theo. "The russet divinity will see you housed for the time being, Master—would you care to tell us your name?"
"It's"—Theo paused, remembering the order for his arrest, and hoping to cover his tracks as best he could—"it's—De Roth." (12.31-33)
Now Theo's lying. Where he once insulted people for fibbing, now he's giving Florian a false name because he's a fugitive. Theo's grown up and realized that day-to-day practicalities (you know, like not getting caught) are more important than telling the truth all the time.
Quote #6
Theo ducked around the coach and pulled on the costume: a long, striped robe which, by its smell, had not been laundered for years, and a tall, cylindrical headpiece with a tassel.
The troop halted. The captain turned his mount, casting a wary eye on the vehicle. Las Bombas, who had disappeared inside, now climbed out to face the officer. The count was resplendent in a general's goldbraided uniform, its breast glittering with medals. (4.29-30)
Theo and Las Bombas change their clothing and transform themselves into new people—Theo pretends to be a barbarian Trebizonian, while Las Bombas becomes a general. These two acts serve to deter their enemies, who'd want to capture them if they realized LB and the gang were frauds.
Quote #7
"Not your clothes, yourself. As for clothes, you'll need very few."
Las Bombas produced a dented bugle from the chest at the back of the coach and sent Musket with it into Born to announce their presence. He set out some paintpots and instructed Theo, who had reluctantly stripped to his undergarments, in the art of becoming the Unfortunate Child of Nature. (7.10-11)
Theo transforms into a character in the farce Las Bombas puts on by changing his clothes—just like that, he becomes the Unfortunate Child of Nature, which turns him from a kind, honest young man into a wild barbarian that knows no aspect of civilization. This act might also make truthful Theo feel just a tad bit guilty… but at least he's making moolah.
Quote #8
Mickle sat cross-legged amid a pile of cushions on her bed in the Royal Chambers. She wriggled her shoulders as if her silken gown made her itch. She grinned at Theo, who waited for her to continue her story. He had not been allowed to see her for two days, while physicians, maids, nurses, and her parents constantly hurried in and out. Finally, Mickle had declared herself perfectly well and demanded Theo, Las Bombas, and Musket. (26.2)
Mickle's transformation is one of the most drastic in the book. She goes from a street urchin to a princess, then from a penniless orphan to a rich girl with a family. Despite her outward changes, though, she hasn't become a different person—she's still the plucky, stubborn kid she always was.
Quote #9
King Augustine had come unannounced into the chamber and had been listening silently. Though he moved with the gait of an invalid still unsure of his legs, his face had regained a little of its color. Although one weight had been lifted from him, he seemed to bear another. (26.24)
Auggie's feeling a bit better since he's gotten his daughter back and gotten rid of Cabby, but he's still not one hundred percent better. Unfortunately, he'll never be transformed to the guy he was before he suffered his grief—no transformation can reverse the effects time and pain have had on a mortal man.
Quote #10
He had lived all his life in Dorning, but the town had suddenly changed. He recognized nothing. Houses loomed that he had never seen before. He tried to sight the clock tower. He followed one street that appeared familiar. It ended in a blind alley which should not have been there. He doubled back in panic. (2.30)
Theo grew up in Dorning and probably knows it like the back of his hand, but the mind reacts strangely when under a lot of pressure. He's fleeing from the authorities raiding Anton's shop, so stress makes the town look like a place he's never visited before. It symbolizes the mass of confusion his life has become.