How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I discovered, realised that at once at myself, who should have known, anticipated this, having known (I realised this too now) all my life that who dealt with Boon dealt with a child and had not merely to cope with but even anticipate its unpredictable vagaries; not the folly of Boon's lack of the simplest rudiments or common sense, but the shame of my failure to anticipate, assume he would lack then, saying, crying to Whoever it is you indict in such crises (3.39)
Who's the real fool here? It could be Boon, since he's basically a grown child. But it could also be Lucius, for failing to anticipate what Boon could be capable of doing. Is anybody in this novel not foolish in some way?
Quote #8
So why didn't I take it, who was already a lost liar, already damned by deceit, so why didn't I go the whole hog and be a coward too? be irrevocable and irremediable like Faustus became? (3.47)
Oh, we love a good Doctor Faustus reference. Like Faustus, Lucius feels that his naïve foolishness is taking him down a path that cannot be reversed. Is he, too, becoming irremediable, unable to be saved? Why does he feel this way?
Quote #9
Because we—he and I—were so new at this, you see. We were worse than amateurs: innocents, complete innocents at stealing automobiles even though neither of us would have called it stealing since we intended to return it unharmed; and even, if people, the world (Jefferson anyway) had just left us alone, unmissed. (3.50)
In the comedic scene when Boon and Lucius steal the car, neither has any clue what he is doing. They're not expert robbers; they're complete and foolish amateurs. They don't even know what they don't know.