Norma 开花以后，Charlie 成了只能藏在角落里的杂草

Charlie 回看母亲态度的变化，把自己和妹妹写成两种植物：

That was before she had changed towards me, and now I realize it was because she had no way of knowing yet if Norma would be like me or not. It was later on, when she was sure her prayers had been answered, and Norma showed all signs of normal intelligence, that my mother’s voice began to sound different. Not only her voice, but her touch, her look, her very presence—all changed. It was as if her magnetic poles had reversed and where they had once attracted now repelled. I see now that when Norma flowered in our garden I became a weed, allowed to exist only where I would not be seen, in corners and dark places. (Location 1852)

母亲的祈祷得到回应以后，Norma 成了花，Charlie 成了必须藏起来的杂草。智力差异在这里变成了家庭内部的身份分配，连声音、触摸和目光都随之改变。

Isidore 被当作低等人，却表现出更多同理心 写的是同一种社会机制：一次能力判断扩张成对整个人的命名。Charlie 的回忆还让 人的尊严不能用有没有用来衡量 多了一层亲密关系中的反例。一个人不符合期待，并不会减少他对依恋和羞耻的感受。

这一段最刺的地方是它写的不是恶意，是资源分配。 家里只养得起一个希望，于是另一个必须被收起来。

恰到好处的表扬，不会变成做事的理由 是另一种家庭里的记账方式，父亲被当成收入来源，爱却被当作理所当然 是同一台机器换了一个角色。灾难以后人人控诉，真正的无辜者反而沉沦 讲的是这类分配在更大尺度上的样子：位置是有限的，而最没有力气去争的人拿不到。

智力不能代替给予和接受感情的能力 是这个家最后付出的代价：他们按一个量把两个孩子排了序，而那个量恰好不是决定谁值得被爱的那个。 ——收入 读书笔记 · 一得

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