The Institute

“[Tim] was touched and surprised—not for the first time—by the ordinary kindness and generosity of ordinary folks, especially those without much to spare.”

Tim observes that where the powerful dehumanize other people, those with very little tend to be kinder and more generous. This works the other way as well: Those who dehumanize their fellows are more likely to climb the social ladder.

“[I]t would eventually come to loading and unloading at the next port of call. Maybe everything did. And everyone.”

Tim observes the constant loading, unloading, and back-and-forth of goods from DuPray’s train station, the use of “everyone” introducing the novel’s first evocation of concentration camps—as the Institute children are taken from their homes and brought to a place where they are imprisoned and abused. Later, in a reversal, the train will bring Luke to Tim.

“‘Here’s what you do,’ Tim said. ‘You go on back home right now, and I’ll walk behind you, just make sure you don’t change your collective mind.’ ‘What’s a collective mind?’ Robert asked.”

This reference to the Bilson twins’ collective mind foreshadows the collective mind (and psychic assault) of the Back Half children. The twins use their collective mind for relatively innocent mischief, whereas to the Institute, a collective mind is a resource to be exploited. Later, the Institute children will use their collective mind to save themselves and others like them.