How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
He kept the blinds closed, even though the windows looked out onto a beautiful walled garden. He didn't want anything new in his life, no matter how beautiful. (6.76)
Matt is scared to deal with anything new, so he uses his blinds (nice metaphor there, Farmer) to shut himself off from the world. He's concealing himself from everyone else, and he's concealing the outside world from his own eyes.
Quote #5
She attacked the piano with a fervor completely different from her usual, sluggish self, and Matt liked to hide behind the potted plants to listen. (9.10)
When Felicia plays the piano, she comes back to life, even though she's still very alone. She and Matt have a lot in common both in how they approach music, and their low positions in the Big House.
Quote #6
The day after a birthday party was always a letdown. The power Matt enjoyed as El Patrón's clone vanished. The servants went back to ignoring him. The Alacráns treated him like something Furball had coughed up on the carpet. (12.4)
Whatever taste of power and popularity Matt had on his birthday has totally disappeared. On his birthday, Matt gets an idea of what it's like to be a normal kid. But as soon as the party's done, he's back to being less-than-human.