Chapter 3:
I don't remember ever having to learn something and finding it utterly useless later on, if only as a little thing seldom used. I remember taking shorthand as a class and wondering why I was doing it, and find myself sometimes making notes using some of the symbols and language.
Oh, Bod, Bod, Bod. Why did you do that? As Emily says, Bod is being whiny and petulant. Very unattractive traits. At the same time, though,
I find that the ghosts are not being helpful in their nonspecific warnings. He's a kid! He's smart! Give him reasons that he can, at least, make his own choices based on facts rather than 'I said so, so you have to do it' stuff.
The Ghouls were scary. That section starts out sort of cartoonish, yes, but escalates somehow into terrifying and totally non-cartoonish.
Chapter 4:
I might have gotten in trouble by doing something nice for someone else. Maybe a few times. However, considering the source of the trouble -- tough. I am responsible for my own honour and integrity. If someone who is in in a position of 'power' wants me to not do something nice, in fact wants me to do a bad thing, nope.
As for the taking of the broach, I think that the consequences suffered by different people were greatly dependent upon the reason for their choices.
"... And no practical definition of freedom would be completely without the freedom to take the consequences. Indeed, it is the freedom upon which all the others are based. ..." Lord Vetinari to Moist von Lipwig in
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
As for what and who is 'scary' .... Again, as Emily wrote "I have always found evil people infinitely scarier than traditional ‘monsters’. This time was no exception."
I'm enjoying the book more, now that I'm continuing on in the reading of it. The first chapters sort of introduced the setting and the characters of the story. Now it's getting 'oh, what happens next?'.