How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"The stupidity. Already the stupidity begins again," he said softly. (10.13)
When Doc is hauled off to prison, he reminds us of the Boers who were put into concentration camps by the English, the Jews who were put into concentration camps by the Nazis, and the black people who would be systematically tortured and murdered by the Nationalist Party. Why do humans have to be so terrible to each other so gosh darn often?
Quote #5
Several pockets of people in the crowd had started to boo and someone shouted, "Once a Jerry, always a Jerry!" which brought about a little spasmodic laughter and clapping. (10.238)
"Jerry" is a derogatory term for a German, and the townspeople are showing their willingness to close ranks against someone who is perceived as an outsider, even if he was a beloved community member before. Groupthink can be a pretty scary and arbitrary thing.
Quote #6
While no more than a quarter of the prisoners were Zulus, they held the highest status in the prison. (11.113)
This difference between the tribes in the prison shows that the societal divisions Peekay notices in his town are present at all levels of society. Even in the closed-off world of the prison, the hierarchy determines who is on top and who's scrubbing the toilets.