How we cite our quotes:
Quote #1
[...] I knew that it meant "happy," like when I'm reading about the Apollo space missions, or when I am still awake at three or four in the morning and I can walk up and down the street and pretend that I am the only person in the world. (3.3)
This doesn't sound so unreasonable, fantasizing about being the only person left on the planet. But what's left unsaid is how unconcerned Christopher would be about the disappearance of everyone he knows, and how utterly incapable he is of stepping outside himself.
Quote #2
It was nice in the police cell. (23.8)
This might be the first time in human history these words have been written. But what's behind Christopher's warm and fuzzy feelings about the place? Well, it's a combination of a few things Christopher values, including being alone, being in an enclosed space, and being in a familiar situation (at least, familiar from TV).
Quote #3
I stepped outside. Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people, so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me. (31.5)
It seems noteworthy that this scene – the first time we read about the "hand-hugging" – occurs in a sterile, empty prison corridor. Prison, of course, has got to be one of the loneliest places there is. The corridor outside the cell allows for some interaction, but there really isn't any place for warmth. So in this setting, does this greeting become more like an embrace, or does it make it seem that much colder?