The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #3)

by Lemony Snicket

Mr. Poe was kindhearted, but it is not enough in this world to be kindhearted, particularly if you are responsible for keeping children out of danger.

You can see at once why keeping things in perspective rarely works very well, because it is hard to concentrate on somebody else being eaten by a bear when you are staring at your own ugly pimple.

“You can’t lock up the barn after the horses are gone.” It means simply that sometimes even the best of plans will occur to you when it is too late.

Oftentimes, when people are miserable, they will want to make other people miserable, too. But it never helps.

It seemed clear that Mr. Poe would not be of any help in this situation, either.

Understanding of unreliability, even with a designated safe adult

It was as if the disastrous fire that took the lives of their parents had been the beginning of a trap, and they hadn’t even known it.

Foreshadow

Tears are curious things, for like earthquakes or puppet shows they can occur at any time, without any warning and without any good reason.

Brobdingnagian—a word which here means “unbelievably husky”—that

“mollify” here means “get them to stop tearing their hair out in worry”—

They understood that she was so wrapped up in her own fears that she had not given a thought to what might have happened to them. They understood that Aunt Josephine had been a terrible guardian,

The leeches had divided up into two teams, which is good news for playing kickball but bad news if you are being attacked.

It dawned on them that unlike Aunt Josephine, who had lived up in that house, sad and alone, the three children had one another for comfort and support over the course of their miserable lives. And while this did not make them feel entirely safe, or entirely happy, it made them feel appreciative.