How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I had developed this theory all summer: if I could be perfectly, ideally, totally normal for the first day of my senior year, which was today, then I could do it for the first week, which was only Wednesday through Friday. And if I could be normal for that first short week, I could do it for the next long week. After that, I'd just have to repeat the have-a-normal-week process seven more times. I'd worked out a calendar. (1.1)
Maybe you lack the massive dysfunction of Karl's life, but this is one thing you most likely can relate to. What teenager doesn't want to be normal? Thing is, as most young-adult heroes figure out at some point, it's not exactly that easy.
Quote #2
You know how a girl who isn't naturally pretty will wear too much makeup and get way too careful about matching colors? Or the way a not-so-smart guy who wishes he was smart will always bring up some really hard book he read, or keeps repeating the only fact he knows about a subject? So you always keep noticing that she's not really pretty, or he's not really smart, and they can feel you noticing that, so they get all insecure and keep doing it more? That was Larry and weird. (5.3)
It might be the 1970s, but guess what—high school kids still had identity crises. It's hard to notice because the Madmen's larger family issues engulf our attention, but beneath all of the abuse and neglect, they're just trying to figure out who they are. Even Larry, who just wants to be as bizarre as possible.
Quote #3
I always liked that time of day, when people were shutting up their shops, putting the town to bed for the night, going home to do normal stuff with their normal families. I wondered if they got to enjoy being normal, to know just how terrific it was, or whether it was just invisible to them like air? Sometimes I got so pissed off at how easy the normal people had it that I just wanted to walk down the street shaking them and screaming into their squishy self-satisfied faces. (7.1)
When it comes down to it, Karl is jealous of other people for (seemingly) being normal because they don't seem to realize how lucky they are. Really, though, are they? If he could see what was really going on inside those houses, he might be surprised.