Klaus Baudelaire had always liked to define words.
Before the fire if someone had asked him to define the word "desolate", he would immediately have responded: "something that is full of pain, bitterness and sadness."
If someone had asked him to define the word "hope", Klaus would have adjusted his glasses and said: "the word "hope" has to do with the feeling of hoping that something good will happen in a moment."
And if they had asked him the meaning of the word "fall", he would have responded that falling is "losing balance until you hit the ground".
After the fire he knew that the words had changed under the shadow of his own experience, but he found that he did not know exactly what definition was appropriate for each one.
When they first arrived at the house of Count Olaf, he believed that he could know exactly the definition of the word "fear"; if someone had asked him, he would have said: "It is the feeling that I have all day, and that does not allow me to sleep at night." First was the fear for that house, the fear of not being able to return the days, of not being able to go back to a time when things were happy. Klaus was afraid that desolation would last forever. Then, as the days went by, more things were added to his list of fears.
When Count Olaf made them cook and hit him, Klaus was afraid that it would become their new life, but there was Violet's soft hand to comfort him, and he thought it could not be so bad.
When they entered the library at Justice Strauss house, Klaus was afraid that it would become the only pleasant place he would ever step on again, but wherever Violet and Sunny were, it was pleasant for him.
When Count Olaf told them that they should participate in his play, Klaus was afraid of not knowing what the Count was up to; but he also thought that the three could discover it together.
As he feared, he also found answers. Then he redefined the word: "Fear is a feeling you can face when you have someone who gives you hope." However, when he discovered that Count Olaf wanted to marry Violet to gain access to their fortune, Klaus understood that there were certain words in the world that he definitely could not define. And then he felt "desolate" and without "hope."
Klaus forced himself to nod when Violet looked at him before signing, all dressed in white like a real princess trapped in the tower, looking for something in his eyes... maybe a light, a last promise; and he wanted to take her face and kiss her.
It was at that time that he also found another definition for the word "fall".