They were real people who entertained and argued and existed entirely independently from him, although he had set the thing in motion. They had different thoughts and beliefs. ~ on children growing up.

"I'd decided to establish a new rule for myself: read for half an hour an evening, no matter what."

Zadie Smith

"Girls either wanted him or wanted to improve him, but most often a combination of the two. They wanted to improve him until he justified the amount they wanted him."

Zadie Smith