How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"There is so much darkness in Ember, Lina. It's not just outside, it's inside us, too. Everyone has some darkness inside. It's like a hungry creature. It wants and wants and wants with a terrible power. And the more you give it, the bigger and hungrier it gets." (13.8)
Clary wins insightfulness points for this explanation of the mayor's greed. The scary thing, though, is that it's not just the mayor who's greedy—it's everyone in Ember. Some people just manage it better than others. But when these folks have been so deprived for so many generations, you can understand why they might be a bit selfish now and then.
Quote #5
For a moment, she felt sorry for the mayor. His hunger had grown so big it could never be satisfied. His huge body couldn't contain it. It made him forget everything else. (13.9)
This thought from Lina is pretty empathetic. She realizes that greed can become a prison, and if you're trapped in that prison, it makes not only your life miserable but also those of everyone around you. Don't get us wrong, the mayor is still a jerk, but it sucks that his greed is basically yanking him around.
Quote #6
He could have told his father everything […] But Doon wanted to keep these things to himself for now. Tomorrow, the guards would announce that an alert young boy had uncovered the mayor's crime, and his father, hearing the announcements along with the rest of Ember, would turn to the person next to him and say, "That's my son they're talking about! My son!" (13.81)
Doon isn't greedy for material things—he wants to be recognized and rewarded for his acts of service to the city. He wants his father to be proud of him, and to brag about him to others. That's actually a pretty common thing for people to desire, but when it gets out of hand, it can have consequences (like when Doon and Lina depart from Ember without actually telling anyone how to find the escape route… whoops).