How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph.Page)
Quote #7
There really must be something in that growth on his neck, he thought. The growth was too close to his spinal cord, and had altered the passage of signals from his brain to the rest of him. It would explain his inability to read all human signals. (XXII.72.187)
Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could locate a small something on our body responsible for all the stupid things we'd done in life? You know, something that could easily be removed and our equilibrium restored? Alan has that hope for his neck lump. In his mind, it can't be a coincidence that this thing has appeared at the moment he's become socially inept. His reasoning here shows that Alan can feel his inability to connect with others, but really has no good explanation for it—and no solutions.
Quote #8
But now he was something else. He stood in the same spot where he once would have taken great pleasure in something…and he smiled in a way that he hoped would be seen as warm. But he felt no warmth. He wanted only to go home. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to watch his Red Sox DVDs while drinking Hanne's moonshine. (XXII.101.189)
Alan's years of "bad luck" have taken their toll on him. He feels dead inside, unable to respond to the outside world or to emotional stimuli. It sounds to us like classic depression, but Eggers' way of describing this deep sense of alienation makes us feel that there's something more going on. It's almost as if there's simply no place in the world left for Alan. Well, except for the couch in front of the TV.
Quote #9
There were Aston Martins to test, there were prop planes to briefly take command of. But more than anything there was fishing. The Schwinn guys fostered a culture of fishing, on Lake Michigan and anywhere else. There were weekends up on Lake Geneva with the VPs, with a chosen few of the best retailers. Alan missed all that. (XXIV.80.210)
It's a little harder to feel sorry for Alan when we glimpse this former life of executive privilege, but we get the point: all of that is gone now. He truly felt at home with these guys, in that yacht, or driving that expensive car. It's leaner times, and the camaraderie has also disappeared. It would make anyone sigh.