How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
She had never known him to […] take advantage or break a promise. […] "Just nothing scares you," she said, commenting on a generally recognized quality of Mr. Clutter's: a fearless self-assurance that set him apart, and while it created respect, also limited the affections of others a little. "I can't imagine you afraid. No matter what happened, you'd talk your way out of it." (1.114)
Besides the overdose of foreshadowing in this passage, we learn that Herb Clutter is, in a word, a mensch. Notice what else Mrs. Ashida says? His self-assurance can be a little off-putting. He's not the most affectionate guy in the world, but we'll give him a pass on that. He's someone who's probably more concerned about being respected than being liked.
Quote #5
But what meant most to Kenyon—and Bob, too—was their weekend, overnight hunting hikes along the shores of the river […] and then, sweetest of all, swaggering homeward with a dozen duck dinners swinging from their belts. (1.130)
Kenyon was the beneficiary of the father-to-son transmission of traditionally masculine hobbies and interests. We learn that he was being brought up to be industrious and responsible. He wasn't exactly a macho kind of kid, but in terms of the qualities that make a "man"—responsibility and determination—Kenyon would have been a man.
Quote #6
Toward the end, a total of eighteen men were assigned to the case full-time, among them three of the K.B.I.'s finest investigators—special Agents Harold Nye, Roy Church, and Clarence Duntz. (2.8).
Wait. Where's Scully?! We can't help but notice that all the investigators in this book are men. It would have been unthinkable for it to be otherwise in those days. Fun fact about women in the FBI: Alaska Packard Davidson (1868–1934) became the first female Special Agent in 1922, at the age of 54. She only served for two years before being asked to resign by newly appointed Director J. Edgar Hoover. It wasn't until 1972, shortly after Hoover's death and the passing of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, that women once again joined the forces of the FBI.