How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
I'd never wanted so badly to be by myself. There were lots of times growing up when I felt isolated. Being the lone boy in a family can do that. Your biological dad showing no interest in you only shores up the feelings. So I'd felt alone a lot. But this was the first time I really wanted it. (14.32)
Sure, Sam's powers are bound, but being abandoned by your dad doesn't exactly do very much for an only son's self-concept. Finding out that your mom is actually scared of your powers doesn't help much either. No wonder Sam wants to be alone.
Quote #5
No wonder I'd always felt lost. I actually was. The knowledge felt terrible, but in a strange way, it also felt good. Now I knew why I'd never connected to anything. Why I felt like I was outside the world around me, moving at a different speed from everyone else. That amputated piece of me explained everything. (21.43)
It's interesting that necromancy is such a part of Sam's identity that when his powers are bound, he totally fails at everything he attempts to study or take an interest in. He even feels completely separate from the pace of normal life. Considering that he spends a lot of the book mad at Tia for not telling him the truth, the time he's lost just wandering through life probably doesn't help.
Quote #6
Even among the anomalies, I was an anomaly. I took some pride in that. Or I would have, if my source of pride hadn't also been my death sentence. (21.45)
Considering that Douglas's creepy house is one gigantic freak show, the fact that Sam's binding makes him feel out of place really says something. There's nothing normal about his situation—not even himself.