In the time since the Baudelaire parents' death, most of the Baudelaire orphans' friends had fallen by the wayside, an expression wich here means "they stopped calling, writing, and stopping by to see any of the Baudelaires, making them lonely". You and I, of course, would never do this to any of our grieving acquaintances, but it is a sad truth that when someone has lost a loved one, friends sometimes avoid the person, just when the presence of friends is most needed.
Daniel Handler...there's nothing wrong with occasionally staring out the window and thinking nonsense, as long as the nonsense is yours.
Daniel HandlerAfter a certain age, you couldn't even say where you were from. You went someplace, and lived there. And then you went someplace else.
Daniel HandlerIt doesn't take courage to kill someone,' Klaus said. 'It takes a severe lack of moral stamina.
Daniel HandlerDeciding whether or not to trust a person is like deciding whether or not to climb a tree, because you might get a wonderful view from the highest branch, or you might simply get covered in sap, and for this reason many people choose to spend their time alone and indoors, where it is harder to get a splinter.
Daniel Handler