“Even the things that showed him his path seemed to point at what a fool he was. Another of life's ironies? Or just fate's way of mocking him?”

“A guide, on finding a man who has lost his way, brings him back to the right path—he does not mock and jeer at him and then take himself off. You also must show the unlearned man the truth, and you will see that he will follow. But so long as you do not show it him, you should not mock, but rather feel your own incapacity.”

“I tried to show him things, but he didn't seem to study what I showed him. Usually, he just put whatever I handed him in his mouth. He would try to eat anything. I fed him Tabasco sauce and he yelled. Having a little brother helped me learn to relate to other people. Being a little brother, Snort learned to watch what he put in his mouth.”

“Confused and fearful as he was, this one thing Tom knew for certain. No man ever took another man's balls in his mouth to mock him.”

“No one mocked him in his bedchamber, but he would not live his life in bed.”

“He struggled to breathe through the agony in his chest. The Fates were still mocking him. It must be a boring day for them up on Olympus.”