How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Hester hates me!" "Nonsense," giggled Miss Fang. "She likes you very much." [...] Tom blushed, feeling suddenly proud. (24.33-24.35)
Tom blushes less out of love than out of admiration. Hester's clearly too ugly for Tom to love. (Hey, he said she it, not us.) But he does admire her courage and her independence.
Quote #8
Tom felt a strange mix of pride and fear at the thought of [Valentine] on the loose here in the very heart of Shan Guo. (26.39)
Tom's views on Valentine are conflicting. He feels pride because this guy is his hero. Valentine's practically God. But he feels fear because Valentine might kill everyone. This mix isn't just strange; it's volatile. No wonder Tom is so conflicted.
Quote #9
What courage it must have taken, [for Valentine] to sneak into the great stronghold of the League, under the very noses of London's enemies! (28.3)
It's incredible that even this late in the book, even after he knows all the evil Valentine has wrought, Tom still finds Valentine's daring feats "courageous." We're not sure if Tom will ever get over his admiration for this man, and okay, even we have to admit that there are aspects of him worth admiring.