How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Luke watched in amazement. He'd never talked on a phone. His parents had told him the Government could trace calls, could tell if a voice on a phone was from a person who was allowed to exist or not. (15.15)
Hm, this doesn't really sound so far-fetched. Whether it's true or not, fear of Big Brother keeps people on their toes. Luke's family certainly believes it and aren't taking any chances.
Quote #5
"That means they made sure I was a girl. Doctors can do that, you know, but the Government outlawed the procedure because they were afraid it'd throw the population even more out of whack." (16.43)
Okay, this one's a little tricky. We're definitely a big fat "no" on controlling family size, but we're not sure letting people pick the sex of their baby is such a great idea, either. Mother Nature does a pretty good job of making sure it comes out just about even, anyway.
Quote #6
He remembered reading something about junk food in one of the books in the attic and asking his mother about it. She'd explained that it was something people used to eat all the time, until the Government shut down the factories that made it. (17.36)
The Government telling people what to eat? That sounds familiar. Luke doesn't find out why the factories were shut down but we can reasonably guestimate that it had something to do with the Government needing to make everyone as sad and depressed as possible, plus hating delicious food and being all around fun-killers.