Quote 76
All I had to do was to get to my new apartment, set up my rig, and log back into the OASIS. [...] I would be back in familiar surroundings. I would be safe. (16.26)
Once again, Wade uses the "safe" word. Even though his apartment is basically an impenetrable fortress with an airlock, he still only feels safe inside the OASIS. He's at home there.
Quote 77
No outside light ever penetrated my apartment. (19.4)
Wade's apartment is less a home than it is simply a means to an end. It's a stronghold, as home-y as a fortress. He blocks out all light and doesn't even bother to decorate. All his efforts go into personalizing his digital home because that's the one that counts.
Quote 78
My stronghold was my home inside the OASIS. My avatar's sanctuary. It was the one place in the entire simulation where I was truly safe. (20.3)
Remember what we said earlier about Wade finding a safe zone inside the OASIS? He creates one for himself, a high-tech base on an asteroid with no neighbors. Here he isn't stuck, he's free to come and go as he pleases, and that makes it the perfect home.