How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
If he didn't join the team, what would he do? Return to the orphanage? Seeing Miss Perumal again would be nice, but he would be in the same pickle as before: out of place among the other children, purposeless and lonely. (5.1)
Well that doesn't sound like fun. This quote shows us that as much as Reynie loves Miss Perumal and has made a significant connection with her (significant enough that she adopts him at the end of the book), he still feels isolated at the orphanage. He doesn't fit in with the other kids, which of course makes him feel lonely, and he's already read all of the textbooks and, most likely, mastered most of the material offered up for education at the orphanage school, which leaves him pretty much nothing to look forward to in the next eight years.
Quote #5
…if nothing else comes of this, at least you're making friends. That's more than you had yesterday. (5.22)
Again, ouch. So Reynie had no friends as of yesterday. None. Not a one. Not even a penpal. Nada. So under "Friends" on his Facebook page, there's a picture of… no one. Talk about isolated.
Quote #6
Who in his right mind would actually want to be put in danger just because that let him be part of something? (8.38)
Perhaps someone who's never felt like part of something before? Not part of a family or a group or a club or a scheme to get-rich-quick or even a fandom. Yeah, that person—that's who would put himself in danger to belong. It's actually not all that hard to understand. Lots of people do lots of foolish things to achieve a sense of belonging. Why? Because isolation doesn't feel good.