How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
But humans are not as reliable as nature, as trees. I wonder if you'll come back; I trust only that you'll leave. (6.73)
The poem John writes talks about being reliable and steadfast. Hmm… we wonder if that has anything to do with his dad. It's no coincidence that John's obsessed with ideas of loyalty and reliability when his dad ditched him.
Quote #5
"Probably that's not fair either— how can I possibly know what the circumstances were when you were pregnant with an unwanted child? I suppose I should thank you for not having an abortion. Okay. I will. Thank you. But I don't thank you for this: that it's almost impossible for me to really trust anyone." (9.52)
Marisol's letter to her mom is complicated. She's grateful her mom didn't have an abortion, but she also blames her mom for her lack of trust. Since her mom abandoned her as a baby, Marisol is worried everyone will do the same to her for the rest of her life.
Quote #6
At least I still had you—(I thought)—you hadn't run away from me. It didn't take long to realize how wrong I was. You were gone too. Sealed up inside yourself where I couldn't get in, never mind that we still lived in the same house. (10.58)
In his letter to his mom, John confronts her about her treatment of him over the past few years. Even though she hasn't literally run away from him, she has figuratively, by shutting him out and refusing to touch him.