How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Miss Perumal sighed when she was feeling sad for him, he knew—sad to see him teased by the other children, sad the poor boy had lost his parents—and Reynie wished he hadn't worried her, but he did like knowing she cared. She was the only one who did. (1.9)
Ouch. "She was the only one who did." We kind of want to debate this point, but sadly there's nothing to debate—from what we hear of the orphanage director, he was more concerned with collecting his per student fee than making sure his students were doing okay. And the other kids at the orphanage all seemed to resent Reynie's intelligence or just ostracize him because he found books "enjoyable." Poor kid. But still. At least he has Miss Perumal, right?
Quote #2
What did it matter if he was different from other children? Everyone got teased from time to time—he was no different in that respect. (1.53)
Unfortunately, in our experience, kids who get teased don't necessarily stick together. Why? Because when you're getting bullied or teased, mostly you just want it to stop. So when the people who've been bullying or teasing you move on to someone new, it's kind of a relief, and the last thing you want to do is throw yourself back into the line of fire by hanging around with their new favorite target.
It's sad because it's just plain sad, but it's also sad because if all the kids who got teased refused to stand by and watch someone else get teased ever again, well, there'd be no one left. To tease or be teased. Right? Because like Reynie points out, everyone gets teased from time to time.
Quote #3
"We're all alone. […] I'm an orphan, and Kate's mother died when she was a baby and then her father left her, and I'm only guessing about Constance, but as for Sticky, well—I'm sorry, Sticky, but I think you've been hiding something. I think somehow you're alone, too." (4.104-106)
And it turns out he is. Sticky has run away from home and is under the impression that his parents are better off without him, so yeah—he's alone too. Now here are some kids who know isolation firsthand and long-term.