How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
He best expressed his preference for his wild homestead by saying that his Bible seemed truer to him there. If one stood in the doorway of his cave, and looked off at the rough land, the smiling sky, the curly grass white in the hot sunlight; if one listened to the rapturous song of the lark, the drumming of the quail, the burr of the locust against that vast silence, one understood what Ivar meant. (1.3.24)
This narrator definitely feels for Ivar and his off-beat religious views. Though a social outcast, Ivar enjoys his isolated existence away from humanity. It brings him closer to nature, which also makes him feel closer to God. So, he's not all that alone after all, right?
Quote #5
"Since you have been here, ten years now, I have never really been lonely. But I can remember what it was like before. Now I shall have nobody but Emil. But he is my boy, and he is tender-hearted." (1.4.17)
Ivar's isolated lifestyle might sound charming, but from Alexandra's perspective, it's clear that loneliness is a big danger of living on the Divide. When Carl leaves, she has to shift her attachment to Emil, who will continue to be the center of emotional universe until his murder, which then pushes her into the deep end for a while.
Quote #6
"But don't you sort of hate to have people see him around here, Alexandra?" she went on with persuasive smoothness. "He is a disgraceful object, and you're fixed up so nice now. It sort of makes people distant with you, when they never know when they'll hear him scratching about." (2.3.11)
Alexandra thinks she's doing a good thing by moving Ivar onto her homestead. But, as Annie's comment suggests, it means some of what makes Ivar a social outcast starts to rub off on her. You definitely don't want to be "distant" from other people in this community—they might start thinking you're straight up nuts.