How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I don't want you to be a snitch? This isn't some schoolyard game. I almost lost my job here, Moose. Do you know what that means to us?"
I look out at the darkening sky. "If you lost your job, we could go home." (20.50-51)
Mr. Flanagan puts the weight of the world on his son's shoulders. After the whole debacle with the laundry service, Moose's dad tells him that the whole family could be in trouble if he makes the wrong move. That's a lot of blame to put on a twelve-year-old—but it's also the truth. Moose has to think more carefully about his actions than other kids his age, because there could be serious consequences.
Quote #8
Calm down, I tell myself. Nothing happened. My mind flashes on the greasy-haired con holding my sister's hand, and a sick feeling comes over me. My mouth tastes like curdled milk.
I don't know what happened. I wasn't there. (27.3-4)
Moose feels major guilt when he finds his sister with the convict. He can't believe that Natalie might be in a really bad situation—and it's his fault. What's worse is that Moose doesn't even know what's actually happened because he wasn't there. So this is really like a double dose of guilt.
Quote #9
"Did I cause Natalie to be the way she is?" The question seems to come from somewhere deep inside of me.
"Something I did? You said she got worse when she was three. That's when I was born. Was it me?" I concentrate on the rug. (31.22-23)
This is a really important moment: We find out that Moose has been carrying guilt over Natalie's problems all along. He's never had the nerve to ask about it, though, because he's been afraid that it was true. Needless to say, when Moose finds out that he has nothing to feel guilty about, it's a major relief.