The first part of his childhood was, indeed, very Rockwellian, except for the spies lurking in the corners, always watching, always reporting, always making sure no harm came to the Otus family... until it did. Sometimes, he wonders if his mother knew she was being watched. He is almost sure she did. Perhaps that's why she was a bit of a show off.

Speaking of...

"False modesty doesn't suit you." he says with a faint smile, which falters as soon as Eliot speaks again. "... I'm afraid that would be a tough competition."

He realizes that his mother would have liked Eliot. Fiercely. A piece of the pompous home she left behind with no strings attached. They would cook up a storm together. If someone like Eliot had been raised around his mother, would he have turned much different?