How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"I'm not a complete idiot, Dave. I do understand that I'm living with a handicap. I just prefer to pretend that I'm not, occasionally—if you don't mind." (14.102)
Here we get a sampling of Nina's famous temper. Reuben has just made a pass at her, which Dave shot down, saying Nina doesn't get out very much because she's rarely up for any level of activity. Nina snaps at Dave that even though she's very aware of the reality of her situation, she prefers to pretend otherwise. Hey man, we get it: Sometimes inventing your own reality is better than slogging through the one you're stuck with. Why do you think we read so many freaking books?
Quote #5
To some of these Internet friends he'd expounded his theory about the role of evil on earth: how evil was a kind of spiritual waste product that had to be collected in certain "vessels," so that it wouldn't spill out and contaminate everything. (16.4)
Nefley sure has some, uh, interesting beliefs about the nature of reality. We're not really sure how he acquired them, and maybe he isn't either. Not that there's anything wrong with believing that evil exists in the world and takes certain forms—it's just what you do with those beliefs that matters.
Quote #6
Faced with this awful possibility, Nefley devised a honey trap. This he did after consulting one of his geeky Internet contacts, who probably took it for granted that they were both engaged in an online role-playing scenario. (16.9)
Oh, Nefley. Your beliefs about reality are so weird that the people you discuss them with probably assume that you're actually talking about a game instead. There's nothing wrong with having strange beliefs, but having to ask whether every conversation is real or fantasy might get a little cumbersome.