How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"This is it, lad. [...] There's just you, me, and the dark. Can you stand it? Are you fit to be my apprentice?" (4.18)
The Spook lists three things one should actually be afraid of: the dark, the Spook, and Tom's own self. Sometimes finding yourself can be the scariest thing of all… That, and clowns. But those are too scary to even be included in this book.
Quote #5
"Remember, the dark feeds on fear." (4.30)
This is another quote that alludes to the internal nature of fear. The dark feeds on fear because when you can't see something, your own brain starts coming up with all sorts of scary things that could be in there to feed on you. When children are afraid of the dark, what they're really afraid of is their own imaginations.
Quote #6
First, the girl had little respect for him, and second, she wasn't the least bit afraid of him. (6.77)
This quote tells us two things. First, Tom has a high enough opinion of himself that he thinks people should be afraid of him—even though he's just a twelve year-old with a stick. And second of all, Alice is fearless. Okay, we're not sure of number two yet, since Tom isn't anything too scary himself. But she'll prove herself to be fearless later in the novel.