Okay for Now

“[S]he dropped them back in the box like they were garbage, because that’s all they were now. Garbage.” 

This quote refers to Doug’s mom putting the pieces of broken dinnerware that Doug’s father carelessly broke back into the moving box. The quote is reminiscent of a similar quote made in reference to Joe Pepitone’s baseball hat which appears in the first few pages of the book. The quote is important because it establishes Doug’s belief that what is broken is worthless, a belief which he turns against himself. 

“So what?” 

This is a popular phrase used by Doug throughout the book. In this instance, he is questioning why it matters that people enjoy the library. The frequent use of this question demonstrates Doug’s constant attempt to distance himself emotionally from everything and everyone. 

“When people walked by, they’d look at me like I didn’t belong there. You know what that feels like after a while?”

Doug has this thought when he is sitting outside the library. The issue of not belonging is one of the most prevalent issues in his life. His home life does not provide him with a sense of belonging, and seeing as his family moved cities, he also must contend with the sense of not belonging to his physical location either.