Quote 1
"I heard what you said, it just don't make sense. Why do you always want to read about other people's lives, Matt? Ain't your own good enough for you?"
I didn't reply to that because I knew my voice would quaver if I did. (21.auger.51-52)
Unfortunately, Royal hits Mattie's conundrum right on the head. She's not sure if her life is good enough for her. She's got these ambitions to study and write for a living, but she's not sure what she's willing to sacrifice to achieve these ambitions. It doesn't help that Royal scorns Mattie's love of books and literature as worthless. (Seriously, girl, what do you see in him?)
Quote 2
After a while, though, he took a breath, and just to say something, I told him I was going to college. I told him that I had been accepted to Barnard and that if I could only come up with some money, I would go.
He stopped dead in his tracks. "What on earth you want to do that for?" he asked, frowning.
"To learn, Royal. To read books and see if maybe I can write one myself someday."
"Don't know why you'd want to do that."
"Because I do," I said, annoyed by his reaction. (13.xerophilous.28-32)
There are many words we could use to describe Royal Loomis, and right now, we can't think of a single positive one. While we understand that Mattie is attracted to him—he seems like a pretty good-looking guy—we can't really forgive him for not paying attention to or trying to understand Mattie's dreams. His scorn for education and literature—a.k.a. her hopes and passions—make it harder for her to hold on to them, especially because she's so attracted to him.
Quote 3
"Look at that stretch of land right there, Matt," he said, sweeping his hand out in front of him. "Nice and flat, well drained, and a good stream besides. Make good growing land. I'd farm it for corn in a second."
The stretch of land he was talking about included Emmie Hubbard's property and a bit of my father's, as well as Loomis land. "Well, I think Emmie might have something to say about that. And my pa, too."
He shrugged. "A man can dream, can't he?" (26.abscission.9-11)
Royal seems to be the exception to the rule of dreams in A Northern Light. He never really feels guilty for pushing Emmie Hubbard off her land; he never really seems bothered by society or torn between duty and dream, probably because his dream aligns with his family's and society's expectations of him. Life is much harder when one's dreams are in conflict with others' expectations.