You have read the second chapter of  Down the Rabbit Hole, by  Lewis Carroll.
In this chapter you probably discovered the value of taking your time reading and enjoying the multiple levels of language which are implied by the author.  Looking up  unfamiliar words is essential to this process.  The author seems to have multiple purposes in this writing.  The apparent story is only the tip of the iceberg!...

Author Consideration: Sometimes the author appears to be putting the reader on.  He proposes that situations or realities may coexist or overlap and examines how each one of us may have more than one set of desires, intentions, motivations, or ambitions...  In revealing the complexity of each person's circumstances and the subjective nature of our perceptions, the author allows us to think outside the box.  Or perhaps to reinvent the box.  He may even challenge us to dispense with the box and replace it with some less constraining metaphor, or more creative framework...  Above all, we are encouraged by satiric obfuscation, to consider how our appreciation and understanding of this story is influenced by our personal experience and history.

Before you begin chapter three, there are some reading techniques we need to examine, which include the proper methods for taking notes from a text book,   First: read a section of your textbook chapter, Second:  Review the material, and Third:  write the paraphrased ideas as your notes.  Here are detailed methods.  Also...What is the title?  When was the essay written?  Who wrote it?  Mark information that is crucial to you.  What is the factual information that you want to retain?  Once you have finished the article, reflect on
these ideas and make out a summary sheet on the essay and consider how we read and understanding essays.   

Then you can proceed with reading Chapter 3 - A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale...  Enjoy the writing and use your imagination.  In the author's world almost anything is possible...