How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I gave Arthur this news with a show of reluctance, as if I were doing him a favor, but really I was just afraid to be alone." (18.4)
This is pure posing. He doesn't want Arthur to know that he's scared. This is why most people lie, but we don't see it very often from Jack. He's got bigger fish to fry.
Quote #8
"It was truth known only to me, but I believed in it more than I believed in the facts arrayed against it." (22.76)
And… we're back to self-deceit. It seems pretty clear here that Jack's kind of trying to change reality here: that if he just believes in his lies hard enough, they will come true. Fake It Til You Make It Syndrome indeed.
Quote #9
"I did not want to break cover, but I had no choice." (24.22)
He's trying to get past Huff in the drugstore here, so that Huff won't blow his elaborately crafted prep school image. What's interesting is his phrase "break cover," like he's safely hidden in the bushes somewhere and that the bushes make him feel safe. It's not the first time that hiding has been equated with peace in Jack's world.