Quote 7
[Marcus:] "You'd think Van, of all people, would understand." Half of Van's family lived in North Korea. Her parents never forgot that they had all those people living under a crazy dictator, not able to escape to America, the way her parents had.Jolu shrugged. "Maybe that's why she's so freaked out. Because she knows how dangerous it can get."
I knew what he was talking about. Two of Van's uncles had gone to jail and had never reappeared. (7.100-102)
Having lived under the repressive regime of North Korea, Van's parents (and Van in turn) are less likely to rock the boat than Marcus or Jolu. They know how easily government power can turn to abuse, and they'd rather keep a low profile.
Quote 8
[Marcus:] "You can't get anything done by doing nothing. It's our country. They've taken it from us. The terrorists who attack us are still free but we're not. I can't go underground for a year, ten years, my whole life, waiting for freedom to be handed to me. Freedom is something you have to take for yourself." (20.102)
Marcus has been thinking about what freedom means for hundreds of pages now. What do you think about his point of view?
Quote 9
[Marcus:] "I decided that I couldn't run. That I had to face justice that my freedom wasn't worth anything if I was a wanted man, or if the city was still under the DHS. If my friends were still locked up. That freedom for me wasn't as important as a free country." (21.60)
Lots of people fight for freedom everyday where they live. What are some freedoms that people fight for that aren't mentioned in Little Brother?