I know, you've been here a year, you think these people are normal. Well, they're not. WE'RE not. I look in the library, I call up books on my desk. Old ones, because they won't let us have anything new, but I've got a pretty good idea what children are, and we're not children. Children can lose sometimes, and nobody cares. Children aren't in armies, they aren't COMMANDERS, they don't rule over forty other kids, it's more than anybody can take and not get crazy.

Summary

This quote expresses the speaker's realization that the people in their environment, which may be some form of institution or confined community, are not normal. They highlight the fact that they and their peers are deprived of new books, implying a restrictive and potentially oppressive environment. Moreover, the speaker suggests that they are not children but rather treated like adults, being commanders and having power over others. The quote ultimately conveys the overwhelming pressure on them and their fellow members, leading to the possibility of going insane.

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