How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"He's a radiant boy […] But his education ought not to be entrusted to a school or college." (1.1.217)
Monsignor Darcy thinks that Amory is a special boy. But he also thinks that Amory can only flourish if someone like Darcy takes the boy under his wing. A school or college will try to make Amory conform to normal ideas of genius, and Darcy thinks this will crush Amory's spirit (which it kind of does).
Quote #2
We have no Eton to create the self-consciousness of a governing class; we have, instead, clean, flaccid and innocuous preparatory schools. (1.1.226)
Fitzgerald's narrator doesn't pull any punches when he gives his opinion of American prep schools. In his mind, they serve no real purpose other than to remind rich kids that they're rich.
Quote #3
"He'll fail his exams, tutor all summer at Harstrum's, get into Sheff with about four conditions, and flunk out in the middle of the freshman year." (1.1.269)
One of Amory's favorite activities as a young man is to think about his colleagues' futures. He seems especially good at predicting how they'll fare in school and what they'll end up doing afterward.