How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Flora knew from reading TERRIBLE THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU! that a surprising number of people were walking around with tumors in their brains and didn't even know it. That was the thing about tragedy. It was just sitting there, keeping you company, waiting. And you had absolutely no idea. (8.13)
Tootie might have a brain tumor from how she reacts, according to Flora. Here's the thing about Flora's desperate need to be clever: Most of the time, she's worrying over nothing. Sure bad things happen sometimes, but that doesn't mean every single person has a secret brain tumor or seizure whenever something unexpected happens.
Quote #5
"Do not hope; instead, observe" was a piece of advice that appeared often in TERRIBLE THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU! According to TERRIBLE THINGS!, hope sometimes got in the way of action. (11.14)
This might as well be tattooed on Flora's arm since she turns to it so often. She doesn't want to just suspect something; she wants to confirm what she thinks to prove she knows what's going down.
Quote #6
The Criminal Element gave very specific pointers on how to never, ever be fooled by a criminal, and one of the oft-repeated dictums of The Criminal Element was that the best way to get to know a person was to look him or her directly in the eye. (17.3)
This is one of many helpful tips Flora recalls from her reading. The only problem is, she can't confirm her theory about William being a criminal or arch-nemesis without looking at him without his dark glasses. It looks like you can't learn everything from those comics after all.