This grew by NIGHT

Insights

Unseen or Unsupervised Development

Implies that something formed or progressed without oversight, clarity, or intention—resulting in a flawed or distorted outcome.

Ignorance Breeds Error

Suggests that when things develop without knowledge, awareness, or 'light'—literal or metaphorical—they go awry or become malformed.

Moral or Intellectual Waywardness

Can metaphorically describe the outcome of growing or learning in darkness—without ethical guidance or education—leading to ‘crooked’ behavior or understanding.

Folk Observation Meets Moral Commentary

The phrase likely arose from rural observation of plant growth but evolved into a wider judgment on things or people that turn out 'wrong,' associating darkness with disorder, both physically and morally.

Darkness as Symbol of Ignorance

Echoes a longstanding symbolic tradition in which ‘night’ or ‘darkness’ represents ignorance, error, or the unconscious—conditions under which undesirable or crooked things are presumed to emerge.

Implied Critique of Process

By saying something 'grew by night,' the speaker may imply it happened too quickly, without scrutiny, or in secrecy—making the phrase an understated critique of faulty origins or dubious progress.

Rhetorical Devices

Metaphor

Uses ‘night’ not just as a time of day but as a symbol for lack of clarity, knowledge, or guidance, enriching the phrase with evaluative depth.

Irony

The statement is subtly ironic—things don’t literally grow crooked at night, but the suggestion that they do critiques whatever process led to the present, imperfect result.

Elliptical Construction

The brevity of the phrase and its lack of explicit subject or elaboration add punch, leaving interpretation open but suggestive—a hallmark of proverbial economy.