"...you'd find a tranquil atmosphere waiting, with ducks and bulrushes and pond-weed" (25). Hailsham is creepy, it's too perfect. The setting in the book makes me realize that this is definitely not a normal boarding school. And it's not just the perfect school grounds, but the people there too. The teachers are so nice all the time, and never yell at the children. The kids there almost seem brainwashed into believing anything and everything the teachers tell them, even if it's not true. Maybe it's just how Kathy wishes to remember it, all sunshine and perfection. There has to be something wrong with this place. The way it's described reminds me of a fairy tale, where everything is always bright and sunny to the main character, but behind their back, someone is planning on giving them a poison apple.