How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #4
They made me buy plain old white ones, but they can't make me wear them (19)
Kids don't have control over much. We like to (crassly) say: you can't make 'em eat, sleep, or poop. In this case, the shoes aren't involved in any of those three (we hope!) but Alexander can still engage in a little peaceful protest.
Quote #5
[…] he said I couldn't play with his copying machine, but I forgot. He also said to watch out for the books on his desk, and I was as careful as could be except for my elbow (p. 20)
Alexander likes to avoid responsibility quite a lot in this book. At his dad's office, his little-kid control (or lack thereof) is in full force. Distracted by the lure of a copy machine (only kids can think copy machines are cool), he completely forgets the clear limit of being careful. And in true child form, he doesn't really have a whole lot of control over his physical movements.