“You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.”
Mr. Benedict affirms that family is not necessarily bound by blood, but can be made up of close friends who provide support and love. This concept is exemplified through the four main characters: Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance. After the four meet, they form a bond that is strong enough to transcend the fact that none of them have families of their own. Reynie in particular finds comfort in the thought of his friends. Recognizing that he is not alone gives him the courage to fight the Whisperer machine. Mr. Benedict's words remind Reynie that even though he lacks a blood-related family, he can always turn to his friends for strength and support.
Kate also learns the value of friendship and the importance of asking for help when needed. She is first portrayed as a take-charge leader and initially has difficulty asking for help. However, as the story progresses, she begins to understand how much she can benefit from the help of her friends. Sticky is another character who finds family in his friends. He is initially portrayed as an outcast with no friends, but as he integrates himself into the group and his friends come to care for him beyond what he can provide for them, he begins to feel like part of a family. Lastly, even the moody Constance is able to demonstrate the value of friendship. This shows how much her bond with her friends has grown and how much she values them.
“No one seems to realize how much we are driven by FEAR, the essential component of human personality. Everything else - from ambition to love to despair - derives in some way from this single powerful emotion.”
Mr. Curtain's quote speaks to the idea of fear as a powerful motivator and how it can be used to control people. He believes that fear is the primary emotion that drives humans and that all other emotions, from ambition to love, stem from it. The excerpt reflects Mr. Curtain's ambitions and his willingness to manipulate people to achieve his own ends. He created the Whisperer as a tool of manipulation, using it to spread fear and propaganda to gain control of the world. He believes that by exploiting and manipulating people's fears, he can achieve his goals and become a powerful leader. By tapping into people's primal emotions of dread, he can gain power over them and influence them to do his bidding. In this way, Mr. Curtain's statement reflects his evil motivations and his disposition towards world domination by using the vulnerabilities of the masses.
“Maybe I'm not who I always thought myself to be. Maybe I'm the sort of person who will do anything to hear what I want to believe...”
Reynie has been living with a low opinion of himself since he was a child, believing that he was not capable of anything extraordinary. However, when Miss Perumal encourages him to pursue opportunities offered by Mr. Benedict, Reynie takes the chance and discovers that he is gifted and capable of more than he ever imagined. The quotation indicates that he has been so used to doubting himself that he is willing to do whatever it takes to believe in himself. He is willing to take risks, go out of his comfort zone and strive for what he wants, even if that means facing his fears. At the same time, the statement shows Reynie's newfound realization that he is not who he thought himself to be. He must confront the idea that he is capable of more than he ever thought possible, and that his self-doubt was what was holding him back.
