“My parents are always saying the world doesn’t revolve around me, but sometimes I wonder if it actually DOES.”

Greg’s parents try to get him to act more mature and responsible by telling him that he is not the center of the world, but Greg Heffley demonstrates his naivete by imagining that he is. He confuses Reality and Illusion and suspects that he is living in a fantasy world where he is the star of a TV show.

“I’ve tried to explain my theories to my parents and other grown-ups, but it’s pretty clear nobody wants to hear what some kid has to say.”

Throughout the novel, Kinney builds an ongoing tension over whether Greg’s rich imagination is a strength or a weakness. Greg imagines vivid worlds where all kinds of fantastic things are true, but the adults in his life do not appreciate his imagination; they see it as evidence that he is immature and irresponsible, perhaps because of his frequent, fantasy-based lies.

“I THOUGHT I was allowed to pick whatever I wanted, but it turns out Mom expected me to spend the money on BOOKS.”

Mrs. Heffley tries to encourage her son to challenge himself academically and creatively, primarily by encouraging him to read. Greg, however, has other priorities and does not understand his mother’s perspective.