How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Reynie […] gazed across the harbor channel toward the mainland, as if by gazing he might somehow get back there, and not just to the land, but to a time when he didn't know all the things he knew now. (19.59)
Oh yeah, back on the mainland Reynie was still just an innocent. He hadn't really seen evil, per se, and he's aware that in some ways those were the good old days. When he crossed the bridge to the Institute, he left a little bit of youth on the other side.
Quote #5
The mood in their meeting that night was subdued: no bickering, no laughter, only a general feeling of grim resolve. Now that the children finally knew some things, they all rather missed not knowing them. (20.1)
Hmm… so maybe there is a little bit of worry about lost youth in this book. After all, what the kids have experienced on Nomansan Island is an initiation experience—an event that has opened their eyes to the true nature of the world—and when you suddenly come face to face with the reality that not all people are kind, trustworthy, or even good, it can make you miss the days when you weren't quite as aware.
Quote #6
[…] all they had was their word, and the word of children, they knew, amounted to nothing. (20.2)
Shmoop remembers being young, back when all the other online learning and education sites refused to take it seriously. Actually, Shmoop doesn't remember any such thing, and really, Shmoop is eternally youthful. Still—we can relate, and we feel for the MBSers. Right here. Where it counts.