Section: Reading

104) View Additional Information

The main purpose of the statement, "Walls so thin you could hear the neighbors cutting their toenails and smell their dinner on the stove," is to emphasize:

1. Inform the reader how luxurious Knoxland is.
2. Present a more sophisticated way of life to fans of the Rebus novels.
3. Suggest that the area is a safe haven for immigrants and homeless people.
4. Offer a concrete image that illustrates how poor the residents are.

Papier-mache and balsa wood are not particularly sturdy materials, and the sense that you can hear and smell little things in other apartments in spite of having the typically sturdy separation of walls between you and your neighbor, make it pretty clear this is a poverty-ridden area.