How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"You really don't understand why someone would want a family?"
"I have no idea!"
Alan clenched his fists around the damp material of his towel, looking like he wanted to throw it in Nick's face. He went dark red and snapped, "I want somebody to love me." (7.223-225)
Hmm—this kind of makes us wonder if Alan has experienced a deficit of love in his life. His dad died when he was eleven, he never really knew his mother, and he's been traveling around the country for eight years with a surly brother and a stepmom who spends most of her time locked in her room. What do you think? Is he starved for love, or is he just looking for a different kind of love than what he already has?
Quote #5
Nick kept his head bowed as Alan's hand settled on his neck, palm gun-callused, and rested there.
Nick had never seen the point of just touching people, but if this made Alan feel better, he supposed it wasn't so bad. (10.166-167)
Let's be clear: you should never feel pressured to do anything you don't want to do in the name of love, but that's not what's going on here. Nick's not crazy uncomfortable with Alan's hand on his neck, he just doesn't quite get the point. But because he knows it's a comfort for Alan, he tolerates it—even thinks that maybe it's not such a bad thing after all—and tolerance, dear Shmoopsters, is something you can offer a loved one.
Quote #6
[Nick] turned away from his mother and toward the door. He should not have come.
"I'm not him, you know," he said over his shoulder.
"I know," said Mum. "I loved him." (12.49-51)
Ouch—Arrow, meet Heart. This has got to be one of the most gut-wrenching lines Olivia delivers to Nick, and she has a few doozies. Demon or human, anyone would have trouble grasping the concept of love with a mother-child relationship like this.