Hidden Bodies

“You can’t go back and alter the past, but you can go forward, become a person who remembers.”

Joe remembers hiding in the Salinger closet, which was the mistake that changed his life. Over the course of the novel, his view of human nature will darken. This quote foreshadows his later remark that people never really learn anything, and that to be human is just to do the same thing over and over.

“There is nothing more terrifying than realizing that the one who knows you best loves you least, pities you even.”

Joe’s reaction to Amy’s betrayal is intense. Joe’s fears—even though he is not like everyone else—are similar to those of others. Even though he is a killer, the fact that Amy fooled him gives him the same insecurities as it would to most people. He can be afraid, and not simply afraid of being caught.

“I love them; they are like kids, the way they just fucking hope. I hate them; they are like kids, the way they just fucking hope.”

On the flight to Los Angeles, Joe looks at his Facebook friends. Ironically, he loves the fact that people hope so fervently, even though hope leads to aspirations. This mental duality is a good representation of Joe’s ability to whiplash between the poles of various emotions and opinions, depending on the feelings they produce in him.