The+Chocolate+War+Key+Quotations

//"Obie waited in anticipation, hating the thing in him that made him look at Archie in admiration. The way Archie could turn people on. Or off. The way he could dazzle you with his brilliance -- those Vigil assignments that had made him practically a legend at Trinity -- and the way he could disgust you with his cruelties, those strange offbeat cruelties of his, that had nothing to do with pain or violence but were somehow even worse."// (9-10)

This quotation is an excellent examination of the character, Archie. Archie rules the school with an iron fist, and the relationship he has with his fellow classmates (and "brothers") is like that of a dictator with his minions. The students hate and admire him all at the same time, much like Hitler's followers in WWII.
 * Significance?**

//"Brother Leon regarded them pityingly, shaking his head, a sad and dismal smile on his lips. 'You poor fools,' he said. 'You idiots. Do you know who's the best one here? The bravest of all?' He placed his hand on Bailey's shoulder. 'Gregory Bailey, that's who. He denied cheating. He stood up to my accusations. He stood his ground! But you, gentlemen,you sat there and enjoyed yourselves. And those of you who didn't enjoy yourselves allowed it to happen, allowed me to proceed. You turned this classroom into Nazi Germany for a few moments. Yes, yes, someone finally protested.// Aw, let the kid alone//.' Mimicking the deep voice perfectly. 'A feeble protest, too little too late.' There was scuffling in the corridors, students waiting to enter. Leon ignored the noise. He turned to Bailey, touched the top of his head with the pointer as if he were bestowing knighthood. 'You did well, Bailey. I'm proud of you. You passed the biggest test of all -- you were true to yourself.'"// (46)

Herein lies the great irony of the novel -- Brother Leon, a Catholic brother, praises a student for being true to himself. This seems to fall in line with his position as a brother, but later we find out that Brother Leon is a shady character. This quotation in particular highlights Brother Leon's duality since, while he may be praising a student for his ability to stick to his guns, at the same time he condemns (and seeks to punish via the Vigils) Jerry for his refusal to sell the chocolates.
 * Significance?**

//"Jerry opened his locker. He had thumbtacked a poster to the back wall of the locker on the first day of school. The poster showed a wide expanse of beach, a sweep of sky with a lone star glittering far away. A man walked on the beach, a small solitary figure in all that immensity. At the bottom of the poster, these words appeared --// Do I dare disturb the universe? //By Eliot, who wrote the Waste Land thing they were studying in English. Jerry wasn't sure of the poster's meaning. But it had moved him mysteriously. It was traditional at Trinity for everyone to decorate the interior of his locker with a poster. Jerry chose this one."// (129)

This quotation is significant in both the context of the story and the allusion to Eliot's [|"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."] Jerry, refusing to sell chocolates, has broken tradition and disrupted the world of Trinity. The allusion to Eliot, especially this piece in particular, attempts to set up a parallel between the consequences of Jerry's actions at Trinity and the aftermath of the "Great War" as seen by Prufrock.
 * Significance?**