How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"It is just there are good people and bad people in all systems, and sometimes the good people are overwhelmed but the bad. It is power that is the evil." (1.61)
Katriana gets it. The moral of The Wild Children isn't that socialism is bad or that capitalism is good—it's that power is bad. You could be the nicest dude on the planet, but if you let power get to your head, you're going to end up doing some seriously messed up stuff at some point.
Quote #5
Since the civil war, Alex has had a deep fear of soldiers, men who could shoot each other, who came in the night and carried off friends. (3.11)
We can't blame you for this one, Alex. After all, every soldier we meet in The Wild Children seems more than willing to push people around to get their way. Isn't that messed up? Shouldn't Russian citizens feel like Russian soldiers are there to protect them?
Quote #6
In the cellar, no GPU, no soldiers, no hard-faced officials tried to catch them and detain them in children's homes no better than a jail. (6.95)
This nasty old cellar provides a sanctuary for boys whose lives have been ruined by the abuse of power. Some of their families have been kidnapped; some of them grew up in barbaric children's homes; some of them were abused by the people who were supposed to protect them. Regardless, they're safe now.