Considering the difficult times the story takes place in, it is not a surprise to any of the characters that Edmund's mother uses her body to survive. After all, she is not even the only one doing so in this story. The real issue is when Stephen uses that to weaken Edmund, to make him feel ashamed and humiliated, not by ridiculing him, but someone he cares about, which is not surprising because people can become way more defensive when they are not the one being attacked. Instead, it is someone dear to them. (81)

He will be good friends with Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogen. (80)

The narrator expresses his opinion on Philip's poems that are more focused on showing emotion (anger in particular) rather than having an easy to follow structure (74). Of all people, Philip's rage is definitely not surprising, considering what has happened to his sister and the dystopian society he has to live in. Those negative feelings in just one person's body make him similar to the protagonist who also uses poetry as a way to express himself.

This passage shows a contrast between Jet's stereotypical masculine built and cracking of finger joints to impress and intimidate and his outfit, consisting of floral prints and purple pants (79). Maybe its purpose is to show Jet's attempt of hiding his uncommon interests, usually not associated with the conventional idea of a man in Rhodesia, by overacting as an alpha male.

The irony is strong with this one. Through sarcasm, the narrator criticizes not only alcoholism but his own father as well and his irresponsible behavior. (77)

Those words by the narrator depict a world devoid of logic, where there is nothing permanent, everything is too dynamic to be analyzed and understood. However, the protagonist himself is not convinced in his own words, which just goes to show the uncertainties of the quickly changing times Rhodesians live in. (76)

She delivers this line so calmly and with a smile, making her even more intimidating. It looks like she does not like what is happening to her son, but isn't trying to intervene either, because she knows he was in the wrong. However, she also does not want to seem vulnerable or weak so keeps the facade of an unfazed lady but also shows her anger with her words and by slapping Philip (71).

Nestar's reaction here is surprising because one would expect from her to have sympathy for Anne due to the similar struggles she has been through herself. However, her reaction here is really surprising because she does not seem disturbed or bothered by what she has heard about her son and just smiles at Philip, knowing what his sister has experienced. Her behavior is even more bizarre when it is taken into account that she does not agree with her son's actions and supports the narrator's position on this issue: "I knew she had instantly come over to my side. But she obviously did not like doing so" (69). It appears she doesn't want to openly show her shame and disappointment of her son so she does not look emotional and weak, she prefers to keep her "poker face" in the situation. (70)

Capitalists, imperialists, and "bloody whites" are the three things that make the foundation of the House of Hunger. So far, this quote seems to be the most clear evidence that the House of Hunger is actually a metaphor about the Rhodesian society, which was controlled by the British at the time, not just about the protagonist's home, because those three factors mentioned above refer to societal issues and are not just related to a single household (20).

Here, on page 18, there is an emphasis on "me", showing the narrator's agency in this case. He doesn't really do anything, he just shares his thoughts but this time his independent thinking stands out. If he views something a certain way, it is because of him, not anyone else.

The narrator comes of as irrational and impulsive. Considering his intimate relationship with Immaculate that is later revealed in the novella and the way he describes her as pure and childish, it doesn't seem he truly hates her, even in that particular moment - he was just really angry and tried to explain his feelings to himself (17).

This is only the first of many inadequate patterns of behavior the narrator shows throughout the story. He realizes it was a mistake to laugh so it seems he either cannot control himself or he doesn't think before he does something (14).

This description is very disturbing because it describes Immaculate as pure and innocent while mentioning her sexual relationship with Peter. It sounds like an oxymoron because one would not expect from a child to do such adult things and even become pregnant. However, it is one of the least graphic ways in the text to show some of the disturbing truths about Rhodesian society - its view on women and the normalization of forced marriage (12).

This is only the beginning of the story and Immaculate has not been introduced yet. However, once we read more, we find out he has known her for quite some time and they seem to be have a complex and intimate relationship, so it seems bizarre to introduce her just as "the girl", as if he doesn't even know her name. Perhaps that is just for the first paragraphs of the novella or it is a way for the narrator to distance from the unpleasant situation that made him leave (11).

In a way, this sentence shows how the narrator's mental state affects his views on the world (45). He is already aware that he hears voices and they negatively impact his relationships with other people, but he does not see how it might be changing his perception on the environment as well. There is not enough evidence to jump to conclusions, but based on his strong belief that there is some ill intent behind the rain, the possibility cannot be ignored. He also thinks others share his opinion on this matter but we do not know anyone else's perspective to believe him (this only further demonstrates his conviction), especially when knowing he has some mental health issues, raising questions about his reliability as a narrator to begin with.

Here the priest tries to emotionally manipulate the protagonist by telling a sad story that is supposed to be relatable. In the process, he compares the suffering he endured in the past to "heart of darkness" and those are the same words he used when he called the narrator an ape shortly before. This repetition implies that blackness is only associated with anger, grief, and void while whiteness is the saving grace (in this case, meeting the racist priest and becoming one himself).

Here the influence on Harry's father over him becomes evident. He embraces white British culture but denounces African customs as if they are more primitive. He also demonstrates misogynistic behavior by accusing women who do not share the same attraction towards him of witchcraft. Those negative characteristics could also be found in Harry, who believes white women are far superior to black women.

The narrator seems to be using irony here. After all, a priest cannot be that benevolent if he believes those whom he helps are inferior.