How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #4
Against the judgment of the wise neighbor woman, for whom angels in those times were the fugitive survivors of a celestial conspiracy, they did not have the heart to club him to death. (4)
The neighbor woman has some pretty wild ideas about the supernatural, and Pelayo and Elisenda have to mix their earthly decency with her celestial conspiracy theories.
Quote #5
But when they went out into the courtyard with the first light of dawn, they found the whole neighborhood in front of the chicken coop having fun with the angel, without the slightest reverence, tossing him things to eat through the openings in the wire as if he weren't a supernatural creature but a circus animal. (4)
If you need an example of how not to treat a celestial visitor—or just a run-of-the-mill stranger—look no further. The way the crowd treats the angel in this scene is exactly the attitude the story portrays and criticizes. It's as though people are incapable of recognizing the fantastic possibility of having an angel among them. Instead, they just treat him like a freak show.
Quote #6
Standing by the wire, [Father Gonzaga] reviewed his catechism in an instant and asked them to open the door so that he could take a close look at that pitiful man who looked more like a huge decrepit hen among the fascinated chickens. (4)
The priest uses his catechism like a weapon here, one that will protect him from the mystery of the old man. (What's a catechism? In this context, it's a series of questions and answers that summarizes Roman Catholic beliefs—and we're pretty sure that almost no Catholics believe that it confers any magic-resistance powers.)