Severe Haircut woman (Metaphor)
Marcus called his jailer in DHS’s prison “Severe Haircut or Severe Haircut woman/lady”. In saying so, he shows that it doesn’t matter what name she has and who she is in general. She is faceless for him, she’s just doer of her job. Also thus the author shows that she is just one among mass of others, who are heartless in some way, who blindly obey their leaders and don’t have their own opinion.
Hacking computers like wet wipes (Simile)
The narrator says that his head teacher is always coming down on him “just” because he goes through his school firewalls like wet Kleenex. Thus he shows that it’s really not difficult for him, and he actually doesn’t understand why his head is angry for him. Also he shows that he is not proud of his intellectual level, of this his achievements.
Killing of a book (Metaphor)
When Marcus had to “kill” an arphid (chip) in his friend’s book, which could betray them; while they would miss the lessons, he hesitated in doing so. He said that then the book will be lobotomized, ‘cause then it would disappear in library and would not have its “home”. Thus he shows that maybe he was not a good boy, but he truly loved books, in his own way, and he didn’t want to spoil them.
An obedient sheep (Simile)
Marcus said that when he disappeared after the explosion, his father was so envy that he was ready “to do whatever the DHS asked, to line up like a good little sheep and let them control him, drive him.” Thus the boy highlighted the “level” of this anger, and therewith his father’s character, that he was prudent enough not to get crazy and put in a dangerous position himself and his family.
