“She’s a pretty cool mom.” 

Alex describes his mother as he relates how he came to own Carl Sagan. The reader sees that Alex’s mother is too detached to notice her son’s actions, but for Alex, her indifference allows him to accomplish things that normally would be impossible for an 11-year-old to do without permission, such as adopt a stray puppy and travel to an out of state festival on his own.

“He said, I leave to go to the bathroom for one minute and Alex tries to ditch me at the station, some brother, huh?” 

The “older kid” who approaches Alex at the Amtrak station poses as Alex’s older brother so that the train attendant will allow Alex to board. Alex is grateful for the older kid’s help. Later, an ambulance takes the kid from the train, foreshadowing challenges that Alex will encounter on his own journey.

“Zed says we’ll figure out a way.” 

Alex meets Zed while the passengers briefly detrain due to the delay caused by the older kid’s emergency. Alex is concerned that the carpoolers who agreed to meet and drive together to SHARF from Albuquerque will not wait for him. Zed is confident they will solve the ride situation and Alex believes him. This demonstrates his inability to find his own solutions to his problems and a willingness to rely on others, a result of his youth and inexperience.