In this book, Lemony Snicket continues to develop the theme of ethical uncertainty that has been present at least since The Hostile Hospital, and introduces the idea that people can't always be readily assigned to the good (volunteer) or bad (villain) side of the VFD schism. Like the infamous Medusoid Mycellium, some people are volatile.
In the end, the Baudelaire kids take a further step towards their independence by refusing (for the first time ever) Mr. Poe's "help". Thus they break the repetitive cycle their lives have been caught in, and move forward towards VFD's last safe place - the Hotel Denouement.
Quotes:
For Beatrice --
Dead women tell no tales.
Sad men write them down.
He (or she) who hesitates is lost! (Captain Widdershin's motto)
"Absurdio," Sunny said, which meant "Philosophers live at the tops of mountains or in ivory towers, not underneath the sea."
It's not the sugar bowl [that is important]; it's what's inside it!
There are secrets in this world too terrible for young people to know!
"Stop looking at my outfit! You're just jealous of me because I'm a tap-dancing ballerina fairy princess veterinarian! (Carmelita Spats)
People aren't either wicked or noble. They're like chef's salads, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict. (Fernald)
Reading poetry, even if you are only reading to find a secret message hidden within its words, can often give one a feeling of power, the way you feel powerful if you are the only one who brought an umbrella on a rainy day, or the only one who knows how to untie knots when you're taken hostage.
I'm happier than a pig eating bacon! I'm tickled pinker than a sun-burned Caucasian! I'm in higher spirits than a brave-new graveyard! I'm so happy-go-lucky that lucky and happy people are going to beat me with sticks out of pure, unbridled jealousy! (Count Olaf)
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