How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
His father's voice was buoyant, eager – and Adam suddenly realized, with a chill, the truth: his father was playing the game, not trusting the walls, acting as if no phone call had been received from Mr. Grey. His face was still haggard and his eyes wary and haunted and the bright enthusiastic voice was a sharp contrast. (28.61)
Adam's father seems accustomed and resigned to this game of multiple realities. Although all three of the Farmers know what's going on, they still have to pretend – for their own safety – that they live in a safe, secure reality where nothing is wrong.
Quote #8
It is amazing to me how much the place has changed since last year – the cabin seems or rather feels as if it has been neglected for years and years. I think of how fast decay moves in and it makes me shiver. (29.4)
We perceive reality through our senses, right? But what about that sixth sense: hunches or intuition? Adam smells, tastes, touches, hears, and sees many things throughout his journey, but much of what we know about him comes from the way he feels.
Quote #9
Rutterburg is deserted, not a soul in sight, as if everyone has been wiped out by a science-fiction holocaust. (31.3)
It's kind of a shock to read the words "science fiction" and remember that Adam lives in the same world as we do. In the reality of I Am the Cheese, everything is this-worldly – based on human emotion and suffering.