It is on account of the grown-ups and their ways. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?" Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?" Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
Spiritual significance in number 8 reaches up to heaven, comes down to Earth.
— You want my number?
— I do. I do want your number.
— Which number do you want, George? <...> I got numbers coming out of my ears. For instance, 10.
— Ten.
— Yeah. That's how many months old my baby girl is.
— You got a little girl?
— Yeah. Sexy, huh? How about this? Six. That's my other daughter. Eight is my son. Two is the times I've been married and divorced. $16 is what I have in my bank account. 850-3943, that's my phone number. I'm guessing zero is the number of times you're gonna call it.
— One, two! One, two! One, two!
— Three is next, if you're having any trouble.
It is always hard to realize that these numbers and equations we play with at our desks have something to do with the real world.
— Naturally, it's 13. Why 13?
— It comes after 12, hon.