Quote 1
"Don't you know who you love, Pudge? You love the girl who makes you laugh and shows you porn and drinks wine with you. You don't love the crazy, sullen b****."
And there was something to that, truth be told. (44before.28-29)
Maybe this is what the Colonel means when he tells Miles that Miles loves the image of Alaska he created, and not her whole self. Alaska realizes this about herself, which makes us wonder how much of the mysterious persona she creates is true and how much is contrived.
Quote 2
"You don't even care about her!" he shouted. "All that matters is you and your precious f***ing fantasy that you and Alaska had this goddamned secret love affair and she was going to leave Jake for you and you'd live happily ever after. But she kissed a lot of guys, Pudge. And if she were here, we both know that she would still be Jake's girlfriend and that there'd be nothing but drama between the two of you—not love, not sex, just you pining after her and her like, 'You're cute, Pudge, but I love Jake.' "(20after.15)
(Reminder: Pudge equals Miles.) These harsh truths are from the mouth of the Colonel, of course. Maybe Miles needs other people to tell him truths he could never admit to himself. And we have to say, we're inclined to trust the Colonel's analysis here… How about you?
Quote 3
As we walked toward the gym parking lot, the Colonel said, "I called her yesterday and asked her to cover for me, and she didn't even ask why. She just said, 'I sure trust you, son,' and hot damn she does." (3before.9)
The Colonel's mom (knowingly? unknowingly?) aides in the fake progress reports scheme. Miles's parents generally trust him. Are the parents in the novel naïve, or do they know that their kids are up to mischief? And if they know their kids are up to mischief, why do they permit it? That is, what role does lying play in developing trust among characters in the novel?