How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Here, my family and I could be ourselves. Here, we could live free. I mean literally free, as in, not in cages. (2.10)
Max may think that they're free in their house, but the flock members are still limited in where they can go and what they can do because they're afraid of being captured. That's no way to live.
Quote #2
They were just boring kids, stuck on the ground, doing homework. With bedtimes and a million grown-ups telling them what to do, how to do everything, all the time. While we were free, free, free. Soaring through the air like rockets. Being cradled by breezes. Doing whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. (19.5)
Max tries to believe that she and the other flock members are better off than "normal" kids, but deep down inside she isn't so sure. Homework does sound like a huge drag, but she's still missing out on all of the fun and security that comes with living an ordinary life with ordinary parents to look out for you.
Quote #3
She flung herself off the cliff, unable to keep a bittersweet happiness from flooding her chest. It just felt so—beautiful, to float in the air, to move her wings strongly and feel herself glide freely through space.
She flew alongside Fang, and he demonstrated the move for her. She watched him and imitated it. It worked great. (25.10-11)
Even when their situation is pretty dire, Nudge and the other flock members can still take great pleasure in flying. After all, while their flying ability is what sets them apart, it's also what gives them the most freedom.