Quote 85
People say that you always have to tell the truth. But they do not mean this because you are not allowed to tell old people that they are old and you are not allowed to tell people if they smell funny or if a grown-up has made a fart. And you are not allowed to say, "I don't like you," unless that person has been horrible to you. (73.2)
Christopher has a point: we're all taught to tell the truth. But then we're also taught to not say things that hurt people's feelings. This is the aspect that escapes Christopher – that sometimes telling the truth just isn't very nice. And seriously, what would be the point of telling an old person that they're old? Surely they know this themselves, and don't need to have it pointed out by someone else. Why does Christopher sound so personally affronted by this contradiction?
Quote 86
And I am going to finish this chapter with two interesting facts about Sherlock Holmes. (107.22)
Christopher innocently calls this "two interesting facts," but he might also have written "two things people believe about Sherlock Holmes that really aren't true." What's his motivation behind debunking these myths?
Quote 87
And this shows that sometimes people want to be stupid and they do not want to know the truth. (139.8)
Christopher aligns believing in something with not wanting to know the truth, and both of those things with being stupid. It's pretty harsh, right? He probably wouldn't appreciate it if someone told him <em>he</em> was stupid for dreaming of becoming an astronaut. Then why is okay for him to be so intolerant of other people's beliefs and dreams?