"I read the papers, I see the news, I talk to people; white, black, yellow, pink, they’re all fucked."
This quote illustrates Ari’s nihilistic world view that all struggle for a better life is meaningless, no matter where you come from. In his opinion, it is better to live life to the fullest in the present because there is no future.
"Unless you’re a smart thief everyone has to work, or scrounge around saying yes-sir-no-sir-can-I-have-a-raise-sir-can-I-have-the-day-off-sir-my-grandmother-is-sick-sir-dad-can-you-lend-me-twenty. We all have to sell ourselves. But you don’t have to get married, you don’t have to sell all of yourself."
Ari despises marriage because it is the ultimate way to lose one’s freedom. According to him, people lose their dignity when they have to work because they lose their opportunity for self-actualization and because they are subjected to someone else’s generosity. This quote also highlights his view that even if people work, they still do not earn enough and have to borrow money.
"Watch the knife, I say to her. She’s cutting thin slices of tomato and she’s on her third whisky."
Ari’s mother, just like his father, is frequently drunk to escape reality. This quote illustrates Ari’s disposition to criticize things, while he does nothing to change them for the better. For example, in this scene, when his mother prepares some food for him, he does realize that she might hurt herself, but he does not help her--or even make his own food.
"I didn’t feel sane again until I reached the corrosive stenches of the city. Lead and carbon dioxide in my lungs to make me forget the Disneyland I had woken up to."
Ari says this when he comes back from the suburbs of Melbourne, which, according to him, are pathetic copies of America, where everyone chases their little dream of a good life. Because everyone there has the same ideals, the neighborhoods all look the same and lack character, which is also true for the people living there. Ari considers this life fake, while the city, particularly its ugly side, is real.
"Just once, Ari, once you tell them the truth, one argument, no matter how brutal and you never have to lie again."
After their sexual encounter, Ari tells George that he lies to his parents all the time because he feels it is easier that way. However, according to George he just needs to confront his parents once--if they accept him, it is fine, and if they don’t, he should detach himself from them and take ownership of his life. George also tells him that doing so would make him an adult, but Ari prefers not to take this step.
