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Good afternoon Chevra,
A thread that runs through several of these Mishnayot is the confusion that sometimes seeps into religious life between the technical fulfillment of a Mitzvah and the larger picture of appropriate religious behavior. The distinction between the two is most obviously on display in Mishna 4, in which people are scrupulously fulfilling the technical requirements regarding the need to "own" the Lulav on the first day and the need to avoid carrying the Lulav in the pubic domain on Shabbat, while shockingly ignoring the larger religious imperatives around treating others with concern and respect, and of not inflicting physical harm on others.
And I think that there are other, more subtle manifestations of this in Perek 4 as well. There are two ways that Mishna 7 - which is clearly more descriptive than prescriptive - can be read. In one reading, the word "מיד" is translated as "from the hand of", and the rest of the sentence is describing an "all in good fun" prank that the adults would play on the children, grabbing their Lulavs and eating their Etrogim on the morning of the Hoshana Rabba, the final day when Lulav and Etrog are taken. A difficulty with this reading is that the Etrog is considered to be a cherished Mitzva item (in Halachik terms, "designated for its Mitzvah") until the seventh day of Sukkot is completely over, and the Etrog actually may not be be eaten before then. Not to mention that the whole practice seems questionable in terms of the larger educational message it teaches (see again Mishna 4!)
These difficulties are what inspire the alternative reading, in which the word "מיד" is translated as "immediately [upon the Lulav's final use]". In this reading the Mishna is describing a behavior that was done by the children alone, but was clearly tolerated by their parents. This, despite the above-mentioned honor and love that is Halachikly due the Etrog as a Mitzvah object until the end of the day. In this reading too, adults - and their children - are both technically correct that they had completed their fulfilment of the Mitzvah, but are oblivious to the more subtle issues of sanctity and honor.
And finally, Mishna 8 actually anticipates and pre-empts the Sukkah's being treated in the manner that the Etrog apparently was. Although all the intended meals on the seventh day of Sukkot have been completed, the Sukkah still should not be dismantled. It remains a sacred mitzvah object until the day - and holiday of Sukkot - is over.
So I admit that the "thread" that I found here may not be so obvious. In any case though it's a good thing to think about :).
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